PM Dark
by PMDark
Summary: A dark and unforgiving world lies before Ash on his adventures through this complex new take on the Pokemon universe. This is the first chapter in what is to be a 4 part epic spanning an entire world with many original characters and legendary enemies.
1. Chapter 1

=Prologue=

=Kanto: Genetics Lab's Headquarters=

A tall general riding in a forest green military jeep pulls into the temporary parking of a massive skyscraper. As he steps out of his vehicle he looks up to admire the overwhelming structure before him, while a passing cloud skews his view of the top. It's been awhile since he's been in this city, or any city for that matter. He stretches the aches out of his legs from the long drive and walks up to the entrance where two armed security guards wave him in. They recognize him; as well they should, though he has learned to despise that recognition over last few years. He continues through the daunting architecture of the foyer to a desk clerk sitting behind a bulletproof security glass.

"Good morning General. Who are you here to see?"

"That's classified." He says with a stark face.

The clerk gives a dissatisfied smirk. "I.D. sir."

The general lays down his badge and passes it through the hole in the security glass.

"Go ahead sir" A buzz sounds as another armed guard opens the door to a hallway leading to the heart of the building. The general traverses the maze of doorways past the first elevator bank to set of solitary elevator doors. Inside is a limited row of buttons ranging from ground floor through basement seven, below is a locked security panel. The general already holding the key opens the panel to a second set of floors ranging from basement eight all the way down to 23. He presses the B12 button. As he descends he ponders how deep the 23rd basement must be and what it is they are doing so far below society.

DING. He reaches his stop; the walls have no paint down here, just exposed cement blocks stacked to the ceiling with fluorescent bulbs dangling from wire. The general walks a few corners, reaches his door and knocks twice with a long gap before the second. A squirrely lab assistant answers the door and the general eyes him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" He demands abruptly before the assistant has time to greet him.

"I'm the Dr. Qi's assistant. May I help you?" He manages with little confidence.

"Where is the doctor?" He says in a manner that is less a question and more a command.

"Err…" The assistant chokes up, "Right this way."

They walk in through the lab to a back office. The doctor is a withered old man working feverishly at his desk that pays no mind to the two men as they walk in. The general sits down without being acknowledged in the chair opposite his desk and interrupts "Who is this?" Gesturing to the new assistant.

"Do not worry about him, he is a trustworthy man. The real question is why are you disturbing me? I have work to do general, remember? Or has being in the field too long rotted your brain?"

The general sits quietly staring down the assistant in contempt.

The Doctor sighs, "Leave us." With that the assistant huddles out of the room.

"I came to you in person because I can't risk the wrong people overhearing our conversation."

"Very well, what is it then?"

The General sits upright and bends his knee resting his ankle on top of his opposite leg, "Doctor, how long ago did you set a branch of my unit in charge of capturing that ridiculous creature you go on and on about?"

"About three years now General but I assure you the means in which I provided you with to acquire the Mew will prove to be successful in time."

"For the first few months I considered this project to be a complete waste of tax money and more importantly my men's time. It wasn't until we encountered it for the first time and I saw that thing disappear right before my eyes that I started to believe you might be on to something."

The general adjusts his collar and clears his throat. "That is why I am pleased to inform you that as of 0400 hours this morning we have captured the Mew."

The doctor claps his hands in excitement. "This is magnificent news, so the cage I built actually detained it?"

"I wouldn't be here if it hadn't. Although, we are unable to actually see it; our readings show that it is indeed in there."

The Doctor ponders this for a moment before asking his next question, "And where is it now?"

"En route. Due to the size of the cage it will take a few days to get here, but rest assure. It is on its way to your cozy little lab underneath the city." The general undoes his top button and gets more comfortable in his chair. "Tell me doctor, what is it you intend to do once it's finally in front of you?"

A delicate smile slithers across his face, "To simply track its genes, that is all. I believe that deep within the Mew's blood lies the answer to our past General, if our research holds true that creature's lineage may trace as far back in our genetic pool as any animal alive to date."

"What if what the folklore is true and Mew is a god keeping the world in balance?" The general asks projecting as if he doubts it more than he actually does.

"If we believed everything the ancients did we would still be scouring the ocean floor looking for the secret to immortality. Besides if Mew really is a god than what does that make us for having captured it?"

The general averts the doctor's gaze with a grimace twisted onto his face.

=Pallet Town: Kanto Region=

A ten-year-old boy sits alone in his four-corned room staring intently into an illustrated encyclopedia of arthropods and mollusks. He's already read it a few times before, but has yet to grow tired of looking at all of the beautiful pencil work that went in to creating it. Beside him nestled into his charpoy style rope bed is a yellow field mouse that took weeks of convincing before his mom would allow inside. He closes the book and tucks it back into the shelf with his other three, and walks over to his half open paneled window. From outside he collects the pickle jar he positioned on the sill to gather runoff rainwater and carries it to his corn palm potted in an old cracked vase.

From the front entrance comes the unmistakable sound of someone knocking at the door followed momentarily by his mom's voice calling out to him. "Ash, you have a visitor."

He sets the jar down on his desk and walks out to the den to find Gary in the entryway. He keeps his lips sealed and crosses his arms in amusement, what is this guy doing here? He on no account likes Gary; who's a few years older and has always come across as an arrogant schmuck. They've never even said two words to each other, what could he possibly be doing here?

Gary steps forward and breaks the silence, "If I could ask for your permission ma'am" speaking eloquently to his mother, "my grandfather sent me over to ask if Ash could come over to our house for the afternoon?"

This has got to be a trick, Ash thinks, he's just trying to lure me outside for some type of hoax.

"Well of course dear that's fine." His mother says in a sweet tone in spite of all of the obnoxious looks Ash's been throwing her way out of Gary's sight. "I know it's a hot day out there, are you thirsty? I could get you something to drink."

"Thank you but that's alright. We should get on our way, my grandfather's always in a hurry."

Ash is boiling inside but manages to suppress his feelings of betrayal and instead voices his curiosity. "I don't get it. Why would he even want to talk to me?"

His mom kneels down to him and clasps an affirming hand on his shoulder. "Your dad and his grandfather -the professor- were good friends when we first came to this town. So I'm sure anything he has to say to you will be very important."

"Ok, but I still don't know what this has to do with me"

"Honey just be thankful that someone out there is concerned enough about you to invite you over."

Gary chimes in, "To be honest, I don't know what this has to do with either. He doesn't tell me much, but the sooner we get over there, the sooner we find out"

Ash looks into his mom's eyes with a reluctant scowl that pins any preemptive blame on her. She replies with a wink and kisses him on the cheek, "You two take care."

As they walk out the door Ash jogs over to his bedroom window and reaches in patting his hands on the desk, "Come here boy, come here" He calls out enthusiastically. His mouse scurries out onto the sill and Ash bundles him up into his arms.

"Disgusting. Why are you carrying a RAT?" Gary cries out in revulsion.

Ash responds in an overtly pronounced manner. "He's not a rat, he's a mouse and his name's Pikachu"

"What are you doing walking around with that thing? Doesn't it have a cage or at least a freaking leash?"

"He's smart. He doesn't need a leash." He sets the mouse down and it follows him pace by pace at his side. "See!"

Gary starts laughing uproariously. "What good is it having a smart rat?" He barely gets out between cackles, "You know that thing will scare all the girls away right?"

"He's not just an ordinary pet, OK. He's special"

"Falling in love with a rat doesn't make him special. It makes YOU special." Gary says laughing even harder now.

"Shut up! He can conduct electricity through his body He's already blown out three light bulbs in my room. I don't see you with anything like that. "

"That's a lie. My granddad told me all the electric types died off years ago at the turn of the century. Something to do with businessmen overexploiting their abilities to power cities."

Ash scoffs, "Then pick him up and see for yourself."

Gary hastily stoops down to grab Pikachu and instantly receives a low wattage shock that vibrates through his joints. He lets out a yelp and drops the mouse.

"Ha, I told you"

"That doesn't prove anything, it was just a static charge from him running around all day on the carpet at your house."

Ash sticks his tongue out and picks his mouse back up giving him light taps of approval on his little head.

A few minutes later they reach Professor Oak's place, which is a side cabin sitting on cement blocks in Gary's family property. Ash sets down Pikachu and commands him to stay as they approach Oak's cabin door.

The door swings open in anticipation of their arrival and elderly man with a blizzard white head of hair welcomes them in. "Ah, Ashley my dear boy how have you been? Look at how you've grown so fast in just a few years."

Gary giggling to the side, "Your name is Ashley?"

Ash lifts his head and speaks directly to Oak "I've been fine, thank you, and actually nobody calls me that anymore sir."

"Oh of course, of course. How thoughtless of me. What is it you would like me to call you?"

"Well.. My friends at school call me Red." Ash says with a little hesitation

"That's a lie. Nobody calls him that" Gary accuses.

"What would you know? We don't even talk in school!"

Gary snorts, "Why would we? I'm about to graduate and what are you, like eight?"

"I'm ten" Ash mumbles.

Oak cuts them off abruptly, "RED it is. I rather like it, after all Mr. Redding was your father." He says with a smile as he pats Ash on the head. "Which brings me to why I brought you two here today. I never had the pleasure of getting to know you Ashl.. excuse me; Red, but by the type of man your father was I know I can trust you." He then turns to Gary. "And you, I've known your whole life, you're dependable and I can rely on your judgment." Oak gathers him self by taking a deep breathe and looks the two boys over from head to toe. His gaze is deeply absorbed in concentration as if he were internally debating a significant decision.

Gary rolls his eyes, "So…"

"Boys," He says finally breaking the tension, "I'm an old man, and I've come to realize that I can no longer trust all of the colleagues I've managed to surround myself with over the years. I suppose I was just naïve and hoped they all had the same intentions as me when it came to our work."

Ash raises his hand, "Sorry to interrupt sir, but I don't even know what you do."

"I research and catalog the plant and animal species of the world in an attempt to better understand their ability to harness the elements around them in an effort to create a more symbiotic relationship between us and them."

Ash furls his brow and looks even more confused now than when the sentence started.

"Don't worry son that part doesn't matter, at least not to the people I work with. For them it's a cover, their real research is locked away behind closed doors… The things they're doing to those animals. Animals that I, myself brought in to that lab… I've seen the spreadsheets, the tests they've been doing.. Their results. It… It's horrid." The desperation skewed onto his face speaks louder than his words.

Oak walks to his desk and from within a drawer retrieves two kiwi sized red and white spheres. Looking to Ash he asks, "Have you ever used one of these?"

"No sir, I haven't but I've heard about them on the radio"

"It works like a beacon, you press this button here and whichever animal's genetic code has been registered inside will be transported directly to you." Oak lowers the device to Ash's eye line and shows him that it's glowing yellow. "This one is still unlocked, so you just switch it to this setting," Oak turns the dial over and takes Ash's thumb pressing it against the button. "Hold your thumb there and..." BEEP. "Now only your thumbprint can access this."

Gary watches on in jealous disbelief as Oak leaves the ball in Ash's hands.

"Inside is a one of a kind hybrid tortoise that was created by geneticists in partnership with my lab. It's young now, but in time will grow to be very powerful."

"I don't understand. Why are you giving me this?" Ash mutters softly.

"Yeah." Gary agrees, "What did he do to earn that?"

"These animals need attention, they deserve a better environment than the one that was laid out before them. I'm too busy, and-" He sighs, "too decrepit these days to keep up with them. Unlike you two."

"So does that mean you have one for me also?" Gary asks hopefully.

Oak looks at him hesitantly. "Yours Gary is an altogether different beast; where Red's tortoise is a passive creature, yours has been regarded by many cultures to be, quite frankly, a monster."

A depraved smile runs across Gary's face.

"Your older now Gary, which is why I'm relying on you with this. It's not some pet to go running to your friends and bragging about it, or anyone for that matter, this stays between you, Red and I. Do you understand me?"

Gary arches his back in his best attempt at a responsible scholar, "Yes, grandfather. I promise I'll take care of him. What is it?"

"Dracones Ignis, the flame dragon." He pauses to let that information settle, "Now, look at me Gary; if not taken care of properly this creature has the potential to become a savage beast. You can never have him indoors or near anything flammable and I want to make this abundantly clear; this animal is not a joke. It is a reptilian hexapod, which means it can fly away with prey thrice your size while running at full speed. Although, I'm not entirely sure this one can even fly yet." He pauses while he ponders that a moment, "Now since it has an actual burning metabolism, it needs to constantly eat-" Oak trails off into his thoughts, "On second thought, what am I thinking? I can't leave something of such magnitude to-"

Gary cuts him off, "Grandfather please! I can do this, I promise, I'll take care of him, I won't tell anybody, I'll always feed him." He stammers out without pausing between breaths.

"Ok, Ok. Just please, don't make me regret this" Oak hands him the yellow lit ball.

"This is incredible grandfather, thank you so much. I will not let you down I swear." Gary jumps up and down with it clenched firmly in his grasp.

"Damn it, what did I just say? Be careful Gary don't unleash that thing in here." He regains his more endearing composure. "Now I want you both to make me a promise." He looks the two of them in the eyes before he continues, "I don't want either of you entering into those cruel fighting leagues. These animals are for your protection only. You hear me?"

Gary looks down disheartedly, "Yes, grandfather."

"First and foremost you two need to spend time with them, they may be a little timid given where they were sent from."

"Yeah about that, isn't your company going to be looking for these?" Gary questions.

"The laboratory doesn't know they are missing because it has no record of ever having received them. It's one of the perks of being a tenured administrator at the lab. Again, that does not mean you can be showing these animals around, no one can know about them, not even your parents. Especially you Gary, that father of yours has quite a mouth piece on him."

"You don't have to tell me"

"These are rare animals boys, people out there will be willing to lie, cheat, and steal them away from you. Take caution, and if you ever have any question don't hesitate to come ask me. But never at the lab, I can't have either of you associated with me over there."

"Yes, sir" Ash and Gary respond in unison.

"Now do me a favor Gary and take your friend home. You boys take care of yourselves all right."

Ash shakes Oak's hand and gives his thanks, Gary tries the same but Oak pulls him in for a hug.

They leave in tandem and once they are far enough from the property Gary turns to Ash, "I've got to see this dragon. Do you have to go home right now?"

"No, I'm good until sunset."

"I know a good spot in the woods not too far up the road we can take them to that's completely out of sight."

While walking up the way Ash is completely enamored by his new device and can't stop staring at it. "I've never held one of these before. I didn't really understand what your granddad said, I still don't know how they work."

"From what I can understand the animal itself is not actually inside of there, it's stored digitally in the Universal Quantum Computer in Kanto. Whenever you activate the signal they're sent like radio waves through a satellite and materialize in front of you."

"What's a satellite?"

"Are you serious?" Gary says with astonishment, "You've never heard of them? They're those things floating around in space. It was a big deal when they sent them up like twelve years ago."

"I wasn't even born back then. So can you catch a human with one of these?"

"From what I hear, technically yes, but there are patterns in our DNA linked to a safety protocol programmed to keep us from being trapped."

Ash turns his head to Gary with a smug smile, "You're smarter than I thought, how do you know all this?"

"Watch it Ashley. My grandpa's the professor, duh. He even told me when they were experimenting on the prototype for the first containment ball; so much energy was released that the explosion leveled an entire city."

"That's crazy."

"No, that's science." They reach an opening in the woods, "OK, this is far enough. We should be good out here." Gary confirms as he surveys their surroundings.

"Let me go first!" Ash steps up and throws his CB a few yards ahead of him in the dirt where it lands with an anticlimactic thud. Nothing happens, besides Gary snarky laughing that is.

"No you idiot like this." Gary holds onto his containment ball while pressing the yellow button down and pointing it ahead of him. Waves similar to the mirage on a burning horizon envelope before them as a burnt orange dragon materializes at their feet. Disorientated and irritated, it lumbers around for a moment until it focuses on Ash's red and white CB lying on the ground and snatches it up with its teeth.

"Hey, put that down" Gary screams with all of the courage he can muster, but the dragon ignores him and instead turns his focus to Ash's mouse. Dropping its head down low to Pikachu's level allows Ash to get a good view of the two demonic horns jutting out from its cranium. It slips the CB from its mouth, which falls to the forest floor with a wet thump, and the dragon begins lumbering towards Pikachu.

Gary runs between them and shouts at the top of his lungs, "STOP IT NOW!"

The dragon simply turns its head and snaps at Gary causing him to drop to his back and shuffle away in a frightful panic. Ash breaks from his dumbfounded gaze and throws his body on top of his mouse. It cranes its neck and stares directly into Ash's eyes while he crouches timorously only a few feet away. He struggles to keep his composure as the incensed beast lifts its chin and begins roaring at him. He can taste the exhaust fumes on his lips as saliva whips across his face and his eardrums pound. With a trembling hand and sweating palm he reaches out past the snarling teeth and begins petting the dragon's temple. The roaring ceases and its mouth closes as it calmingly lowers its head and presses forward into Ash for comfort. Suddenly the dragon begins to dematerialize in the cusp of his palm and it its wake he can see Gary standing behind it with his CB in hand and a solemn look on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

==PM: DARK==

==Written by: Aman Brent Waraich==

=4 weeks later=

It's a brisk summer morning in Pallet Town as Ash and Gary churn their bikes uphill towards the southern rim of the largest woodland in the entire continent, Viridian Forest. That was one of the many perks Ash enjoyed about his hometown, in the same distance it takes to get to Viridian Forest –where he found his lucky mouse- he can ride in the opposite direction and reach the scenic beaches of the Kanto Ocean.

After checking to see that Pikachu is till secure in his backpack he turns to Gary, "My mom's worried about us going to the woods so much. She keeps telling me about how dangerous the hornets are."

"Ash, how many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about it? We're barely going deep enough in the brush to be out of sight, alright." Gary says with deceptive reassurance.

On their way to the woods they cross a stone bridge built over a streaming river, a general store whose owner is always waving from the window and a diner that has been closed for years. As they pull up to their usual clearing in the woods, Gary dismounts his bike and turns to Ash with a sneer. "So are you finally ready to battle me?"

"Not yet no. Squirtle's still little, but when he's older he'll be ready."

"That squirt is never going to be ready. It's a turtle. Get that through your head. I've seen turtles when they get old, rocks have more vigor than them."

Ash pulls his CB out of his backpack and summons Squirtle, whom appears in front of them instantly. He bends down to his knees and lifts Squirtle to his hind legs then wraps and arm around his shoulder/shell. "You're going to regret that one day, you're talking about a future tournament league champion here." He gestures a fake punch at its chin while Squirtle makes a dismal face. Gary can't help but laugh. Ash ignores him as he turns to Squirtle and commands, "Bubbles, Do Bubbles Squirtle. Bubbles."

Squirtle leans forward in a burping/gargling motion and an abundant stream of bubbles jets from his mouth. Ash claps in enjoyment and frolics around popping them as Gary gives a nod of utter disapproval while water splashes to his feet. "So that's the big move you've been hyping? Remind me, does this come before or after he rolls around on his back for ten minutes struggling to get up?"

Ash doesn't let him ruin his mood, "It's progress, and it shows he's learning. I don't see you getting anywhere with Charizard. You just feed him until he's too full to move."

"Well he's not some common pond turtle. It's a dragon, there's a difference."

"The difference is my animal actually likes me."

"It doesn't matter whether they like you or not, they need to respect you. If you've noticed over the last month Charizard hasn't been acting out as much." He smirks with self-assurance.

"That's because you call him back into the ball before he has a chance to!"

"Sure fine, next time he starts eyeballing that rat of yours as breakfast I'll just let him do it."

Gary reaches to his side and grabbing his CB from his belt and extracts Charizard. After coming out of its temporary daze from the transition, it instantly cranes its neck to the southeast: showing, for the first time, signs of fear in its eyes. The dragon turns and begins running away in a frantic hurry that catches the two kids off guard. They immediately begin chasing after it, until Ash realizes he left Squirtle behind, and heads back to retrieve him. Gary continues running after it into the thicket of the brush and out of sight.

Ash decides it's probably best to hold back and wait in the clearing with his animals. Moments later he hears a loud shriek rise above the trees coming from the distance. That had to be Gary! Adrenaline starts flowing through him as his fruitlessly attempts to lift his turtle before giving up and calling it into his CB. Frantically he chases after the scream into the thickness of the woods.

"Gary! Are you alright?" He yells to no response.

"Where are you at?"

"Gary?"

Call after call goes unanswered and he can feel the anxious sweat beading on the back of his neck. The deeper he goes into the woods the more the tangle of roots and low hanging branches begin to clench down with a claustrophobic embrace. Pushing himself through a bush of pink marigold flowers he emerges into another clearing with sparse rays of light piercing through the canopy. From this vantage point he can see Gary sprawled out on the ground about twenty yards away.

"Gary! Couldn't you hear me?" Ash yells out half frustrated, half hoping for any kind of reply.

"Yes, Ashley. I can hear you" Gary mutters in a barely discernable voice dripping with disdain, his face still firmly planted in the grass.

"Well… Are you all right? What happened? Did you get Charizard?"

Gary slowly lifts his head, "No. To all of your questions, no."

"No happened? I heard you scream, did he attack you?"

"NO. He was running on all fours at full speed; I couldn't keep up. He kept flapping his wings too; I think he was trying to fly away, or something. I don't know. Then I trip over this fucking root, which, where this root came from when there is not a single fucking tree close by, I'll never know. And now I think I twisted my ankle, but I'm fine."

"There's a tree stump right there." Ash points to a tree that had been cut down years ago with sprawling roots coming from its base, partially covered by overgrown moss.

"Thank you Ashley for solving the riddle of the root." Gary quips sarcastically as he pushes himself up from his exasperated position. Ash tries to help him, but Gary shrugs him off, "I got it."

Gary attempts pacing around in a circle but is burdened by an obvious limp. "We have to go home now."

"But we just got here and you said yourself you're fine. What about your dragon? We have to find him."

"I'll come back for him later. I have to get home before my parents; I can't let them see me coming in limping like this. They'll know something is up."

"Just tell them you tripped. It's no big deal."

"Of course you wouldn't understand you're just a kid. See if you can get this through your thick head; I only hang out with you so my parents won't catch on to me and Charizard. I told them we're out here bug catching, cause it's what you like to do. You know since you don't have a dad and all."

Ash fights back a tear, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Look Ash, forget it. I'm going home, OK. Are you coming or what?"

"No. I'm staying, and you can figure out an excuse without me from now on."

Stubbornly Gary limps to his bike and mounts it, riding off without looking back. Ash stays behind and calls Squirtle back out, to Pikachu's delight.

As Gary rides off he can hear Ash commanding "Bubbles" over and over.

==Later that Evening==

"Mom, I'm back" Ash yells out after taking off his shoes and leaving them on the porch.

His mom steps in from the other room and sees Pikachu scurrying around on the carpet, "What did I tell you about that mouse tracking dirt in here."

"Sorry." Ash scoops down to pick him up and heads off to the washroom to wipe it off. He returns to find her in the kitchen preparing dinner, "He's clean now. See."

"What a little gentleman you are. Now school is starting in a few weeks; is there anything I need to get you from the market?"

"Do I really have to go back? Can't I just be home schooled?"

"Honey, you know I work extra hours while you're away at school. How am I supposed to teach you and support this home at the same time?"

"I can help you work, I'm old enough now. Look at how I take care of Pikachu; that shows I'm dependable."

"Which is why you need to stay in school Honey. You have so much potential and with their help you'll become a bright young man. Plus you get to see all your friends from last year. Don't you miss them?"

"Sure, I guess." Ash lets out an exaggerated sigh of anguish. "Well can I at least take Pikachu to the beach tomorrow?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea Ashley. I heard on the radio that sailors were reporting high waves at sea, so it's probably best that you don't go out there."

"It's the ocean mom. There are always high waves." Ash says becoming overtly distraught.

"We have to be careful living this close to the ocean Ashley. You are not going out there."

"Fine. Thank you school, sailors on the radio, and of course you, mom. Thank you for ruining my summer."

"Ash, don't be so dramatic you can go to the beach whenever this clears up."

"It hasn't rained in over a week and its not even cloudy outside!"

"You've lived here long enough to know that that doesn't matter."

Ash pauses for a moment, "I'm going to my room."

"All right Honey."

Ash leaves and she stays in the kitchen cleaning the leftovers from dinner. A few moments later he pops his head back in the doorway, "Goodnight Mom. I love you." She smiles.

==The Next Morning==

Ash is abruptly awoken by Pikachu's paws scratching at his face in an exaggerated attempt to get his attention. He instinctually pushes him away screaming, "What's wrong with you?"

Pikachu begins to bounce around the room in an uncharacteristic outburst that concerns Ash. Unsure as to what the actual problem is; he decides he must need to go outside to relieve himself. As he walks to the backdoor Pikachu continues to circle around him in an anxious pace. Ash can hear his mom bustling around in the other room. He means to greet her, but as soon as he opens the door Pikachu races into the field heading west. Afraid of losing his prized mouse Ash takes off after him in such a hurry he leaves the door wide open. As he reaches the crest of a hill behind his house he glances back as his cabin once last time, mentally kicking himself for leaving the door open, before he sprints down the other side in pursuit.

A few minutes later his mom passes through the hallway and sees the door sitting agape, "Ashley! What did I tell you about leaving the door open? Are you trying to air condition the entire town?"

Noticing his absence she steps out of the doorway, "Ashley?" She paces forward a little more, "Ashley?"

"ASHLEY!"

==Gary==

==20 minutes later==

Gary steps off his bike and parks it next to the entrance of Ash's house, but before knocking he takes a few moments to mentally collect his thoughts. He gives three light taps and inside he can hear Ash's mom going off on a hysterical rant, before reaching the door and stopping herself with an embarrassed sigh.

"Oh, it's you Gary. Sorry sweetie Ashley isn't here. He left in a hurry with that mouse of his. If you see that boy tell him he needs to speak with me immediately."

Gary tries to wipe the frightened look from his face, "Yes, ma'am."

He leaves the house and doubles back uphill until he eventually runs into a pajama clad Ash a few kilometers up road. Ash's house slippers are soaked in mud and in his arms he's holding his shivering mouse. As they approach from opposite sides Ash remains silent pretending not to have noticed Gary.

"I went by your house. Your mom seemed pretty upset." He hollers from across the road.

Ash lifts his head up and looks Gary's way as he crosses the street and pulls his bike up next to him.

"There's a payphone over at the old diner. I can pay for you to call her so she quits worrying." Gary insists.

"Why would I do that? I'll talk to her when I get home. I don't need your help." Ash retorts quickly.

"I know, OK. It's that.. I need yours. That's why I went by your house; I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I was just frustrated about losing Charizard." Gary stares at him earnestly and lets out a groan, "And, to be honest he does seem to like you more. That's why I was thinking, maybe, if I had you with me; we'd be able to find him."

"OK, but only after I talk to my mom."

==Pallet Town Harbor==

Most ships are docked due to the storm warning, but otherwise it's a usual morning on the coast of Pallet Town. Single passenger fishing crafts linger reaping the benefits of the low competition as the gentle tide rolls into the shoreline.

==Viridian Forest Outskirts: Pallet Town==

Ash and Gary turn back uphill and head over the stone bridge, past the general store, to the diner's outdoor payphone. Gary steps up to it to drop in a coin for Ash who begins spinning the rotary dial. After a long ringing an elderly man picks up the phone.

"Hello, Mr. Renner..." Ash answers in a tedious voice.

"No, it's me Ash… From across the road"

"No, AaSH…" He finds over pronunciation tends to help, "…. Yes, I'm fine…" Ash becomes visibly annoyed as he listens to the old man jabber for an extended time.

"Sir, I don't mean to…" He stops midsentence and continues listening.

"Sir… Yes, I know… Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to my mom…. No, it's OK. I'll wait."

Ash is put on hold as the old man sends someone down the road to retrieve his mom. He can still hear him talking in the distance off phone, he just hopes he doesn't pick the handset back up and continue where he left off; although, he is a nice old man. After a few minutes his mom comes to the line and Ash is shaken by the severity of her tone, which Gary can hear from as far as he is.

"I'm sorry! I know, but he just took off on me…" His face is screaming out in woe.

"I know, but he kept running. I didn't want to loose him."

"Yes, I got him."

"Yeah, I saw him on the road he paid for the call… I will… I will. Now?..."

Ash turns to Gary and grumbles, "Thanks Gary."

"Gary wants me to stay out here and help him find.. some dragons flies."

"I already ate. I had some blackberries I found… Yeah mom, I can tell the difference."

"We're just barely going into the woods and it's not far from his house."

"OK, yeah, I will… All right, bye Mom."

Ash hangs up the phone and looks over to Gary who eyes him with curiosity as they start walking toward the forest. "So what exactly happened with Pikachu?" He asks finally

"I don't know he was scratching at my face this morning and when I let him out he started running away."

"Maybe he doesn't want to be your pet anymore, some birds just can't be caged."

Ash looks down at the squirming mouse in his arms, "I don't think so. He would never get too far away from me while he was running. Like he was wanting me to follow him out here."

Gary gives him an odd look, as if having doubts of recruiting Ash's help. Unnoticed by either of them, the single power line that runs the length of the road; usually teaming with birds, is now empty. When they reach the path, Gary chains his bike down to a tree, and they begin their press into the forest.

"It's quiet out here" Gary says no longer giving off his typical poise.

"Yeah," Ash looks in wonder at the silent trees around them, "it's like everybody is gone."

"It had to be Charizard. He must have scared all the animals off."

"Is that even possible?"

==Pallet Town Harbor==

The tide has dropped at an alarming rate and the single passenger crafts are frantically clogging the bay trying to dock their boats. The pillars of the harbor are now visibly exposed, revealing the barnacles and starfish clinging to the wood. The sky remains calm.

==Viridian Forest Outskirts: Pallet Town==

Ash and Gary continue navigating the woods searching for Charizard, yet there is still no sign of any life, which doesn't sit well with Ash. As he's climbing over a massive tree root, with Pikachu still in his arms, a blaring siren comes from far off startling the two boys.

"What is that!?" Ash screams in dismay as the deafening noise carries on.

Gary has already begun running at a full sprint and Ash wastes no time in deciding to follow.

"It's the emergency alert siren, something is happening! Hurry up!" He shouts back over his shoulder to Ash.

Gary quickly unchains his bike and hops on while striding at a full pace, leaving Ash behind, as he careens downhill towards the cliff edge and its vast view of the area. He reaches the outlook first and his jaw drops as he's astounded by the catastrophe unfolding beneath him.

"What is it? What is it? What's going on down there?" Ash screams as he reaches the cliff edge a few minutes later while panting out of breathe.

"It's the ocean." Gary replies as he gazes dumbfounded into the distance.

Ash -finally catching sight of the scene below him- gradually moves forward and grabs hold of the handrail to brace himself.

High up from their vantage point the wave that swallows Pallet Town advances almost slowly, as if peaceful. But, the closer Ash focuses in, the more devastation he can see as the debris and crushing water reek havoc on everything he's ever known. It's his trembling that alerts Gary attention.

"Ash, we need to get inside. My house is close by, let's leave now." He doesn't respond, he just keeps staring into wasteland like a mute.

"ASH! Look at me we need to go!"

Yet Ash can't move, in his mind he frenetically searches for his home but to no avail. All the usual landmarks are either submerged or missing. Gary's yelling is indiscernible, as his eyes dart back and forth, until he sees it. The thatch roofing of his mom's cabin, by now the rest of the house has become completely engulfed. A thousand thoughts begin to pulsate through his mind as his legs start to creep forward, towards the crashing waves.

Gary grabs hold of him, "Ash, are you crazy!? You can't go that way, we need to go to my house!" Ash tries pulling himself away.

"Damn it Ash, your rat's getting away again. See." Gary points to Pikachu who is using Ash's distraction as an opportunity to run back uphill. With this Ash snaps from his trance and chases after Pikachu.

"My parent's will know what to do, just come with me. Please." Gary pleads.

==Gary's house==

Gary's sister Daisy is staring out the window from the distance as Ash and Gary become visible from the crest of the hill. By the time they reach the house Gary's mom and dad are waiting outside for them.

"Thank God Son, when I heard you went into town I feared the worst." Gary's Dad wraps his arm around his son.

"Dad.. Ash's mom is still down there." Gary nods over to Ash's downtrodden appearance.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Well I'm sure everyone down in the town is all right. After all, they did put out that broadcast, so I'm sure they're fine." Gary's dad gives no hint in his tone that he actually believes his reassurance.

Gary's mom gives his dad a sour look as she kneels down to Ash's level, "Ashley, you can stay here as long as you need. OK? And I promise you; as soon as those waters subside we will take you down there personally and find your mother for you. I just know she's all right; I can feel it in my heart."

Ash mutters out a pitiful thanks but his sunken body shows his true temper.

== A few hours pass ==

The entire family, including Ash, is seated in the living room listening to the news broadcast from their radio.

The broadcast is coming from the Kanto mainland; which was also hit by the waves, but was unharmed due to their massive seawall. Kanto's top meteorologists are still unable to determine the cause or actual origin of the tsunami.

"May I go to the restroom?" Ash finally speaks up after remaining quite up until now.

"You don't need to ask for that, just go on ahead." Gary's mom insists gently.

Ash walks away down the hall, but after an extended absence Gary's mom catches on. "Gary, could you go check on your friend? Make sure he's all right."

Gary steps up to the bathroom door and knocks, "Ash, you OK in there?" After no reply he opens the door to find the room empty. Instead of telling his parents he slips out the back door, grabs his bike and heads down the only road. Confirming his hunch, he finds Ash a few hundred yards down the road running towards his house.

"Ash wait! You can't go back yet. You heard the radio there could still be more waves coming and the town's still flooded."

"So what do you want me to do? Go back and sit in a little circle with your family until it's too late to do anything?" Ash wails out heavy in desperation.

Gary has nothing to say, so Ash proceeds on his way. Reluctantly Gary catches up with him on his bike, "Come on, we can get there faster if you ride on my handle bars."

Together they ride the rest of the way downhill until they come up to standing water. Here Gary dismounts his bike and chains it to a tree and they continue on foot. What starts off as only ankle high water becomes waist deep as they draw closer to the harbor itself. They trudge past the diner and general store, whose owner busy doing what he can to sacrifice what remains of his interior, though luckily the buildings remain intact. Once they reach the stone bridge the water around them has subsided to about knee level as it flows passed them to the swollen river. Once they cross over the bridge they come by the first major piece of debris on their path; an enormous fishing boat flipped on its side resting in a meadow. The gaping holes on its side paint an apparent picture of the devastating path the boat travelled on to reach its current destination.

Once Ash's house is in sight it is obvious that something is wrong, he begins treading through the water at a hurried pace calling for his mom. From Gary's perspective things look bleak; the roof is partially gone, the picket fence that once surrounded their garden is missing, and most of the eastern wall is a mess of rubble and debris. Ash has no need for the door -with the wall hanging half open- and by now his cries for his mom are becoming strained and hopeless.

"She could have left. She must have. After the alarm went off she had to have escaped." Gary suggests.

"MOM!" Ash persists to no avail.

From the water, buried under what was once a white wall adorned by a family photo, lays an unmoving hand with painted fingernail tips. Gary is the first to spot it as he leaps toward the rubble calling out to Ash. Together they go through the fruitless effort of freeing her mangled body from the wreckage. But, after realizing that what lay beneath the water may scar Ash far deeper than the traumatizing events that have already unfolded, Gary pulls Ash away from revealing too much.

"It's too late Ash. There's nothing we can do."

"I can't leave her down there. Not like this!" He bellows as he reaches out for her lifeless sodden hand.

"No! I'll come back and take care of her. I promise." Gary urges, "You don't need to see her like this. It won't do you any good."

Ash stares down in dismay as his childhood floods out of him.


	3. Chapter 3

== Time Passes ==

==Gary's House: Oak's Cabin==

"I don't for one moment believe the story you told your parents." Oak plants his hands firmly down on his desk and leans in closer to his grandson. "How does a kid nearly half your size manage to steal your bike from you in plain sight. Your friend nonetheless, no, I know you too well Gary. You let that kid get away, with one of the laboratory animals for that matter." He grunts in anger, "I knew I shouldn't have given you kids those animals. So tell me, why would you possibly allow him to run away?"

Gary gulp down his nerves and pulls him self up. "He.. We went down to his house, like I said, and his mom wasn't there, so I let him use my bike to go look for her. That's all, I mean.. he said he'd be back."

"I saw that mouse of his tied up outside. I know you two came back for it. I also know about the missing food from the storage pantry. You fed him, gave him your bike and you allowed him to go out there alone. Now quit lying to me and tell me why."

Gary sniffs heavily. "You don't understand. He told me not to tell anyone.. his mom, she's dead…" He throws his head down and sobs into his palms, "We found her body in the house and at first he.. I convinced him to come back to our house, but on the way he started to panic. He kept talking about how he didn't want to be forced into an orphanage, and I don't know. He was going to run away no matter what I did. What was I supposed to do? He lost his own bike in the flood."

Oak lets out a disappointed sigh, "You need to learn to be more mature in a crisis. How is that boy going to manage out there alone when his food's gone? Or when the rain starts pouring, did you even think about the consequences? We could have taken care of him. He must have some type of family out there we could have united him with." Oak looks over Gary, who's unwilling to speak, in fear of making the situation worse.

"It's not your fault Gary. You did what you thought was best and that's commendable. I've been thinking it over, and it may be that in my haste to find a home for that dragon, I laid too much of a burden on your shoulders. It's not that I don't trust you. I just feel the time isn't right for you to have such a creature."

Gary sinks deeper into his chair in anticipation of the oncoming shit storm. "I lost him. I didn't know he could fly like he did. That's why we were out in the woods this morning. I was trying to find him."

Oak suppresses his frustration into a twitching hand. "That's fine. It's my fault more than yours. I'll need the CB back of course."

Gary leans forward, knowing this moment was coming, he begins going over the words in his head. "I know this may sound crazy, but hear me out. Ever since the first day that I had Charizard, him and Ash just got along better than I was able to. When Charizard flew away I figured that Ash would have a better chance at finding him than I did. So.. when he was leaving I gave the CB to him. He said he would find him, and if you saw them together you would know. He's good with animals like with that rat of his."

Oak is beside himself in anger.

==Doctor's Basement Lab==

==Kanto Mainland==

The cage containing Mew has finally arrived and is currently being unloaded from the freight elevator. It's a large apparatus the size of a semi trailer that takes a team of men to hoist and transport using pulleys and an industrial trolley. The doctor, after having heard word of its arrival, steps into the receiving room fuming. "What could have possibly caused such an insufferable delay in my shipment?"

The captain's assistant in charge of the delivery steps forward with a confused brow, "Sir, you must have heard about the tsunami? There were turbulent waters for the majority of our course. We were forced to reroute."

"I suppose I have been a bit sequestered down here, but trivial splashes in the water do not cause us much concern here." The Doctor steps up to the small square aerogel window on the side of the apparatus and peers through the opaque material. His eyes shift from left to right impatiently and a heavy look falls upon his face. "I don't understand. Where is it? Where is the Mew?"

At this point one of the field scientist in charge of its capture steps forward. "It appears to us that the creature is using some type of cloaking or camouflaging technique to conceal itself. But fear not it is in there, our high frequency scanners are indeed able to detect the organism within the confines of your ingenious container."

An avid detester of brown nosing, the doctor wrinkles his upper lip. "I see." He then turns to the work crew and claps his hands together, "I am already behind schedule as it is. I would appreciate some haste in your step."

Once the container has been moved to its designated room the doctor wastes no time in before barking orders to his staff. "Release the neural toxin. Perhaps if he is rendered unconscious we will be able to begin our work."

One of his scientists retrieves a large pressure canister and attaches it to the side of the container through a valve. Its contents are released into Mew's confine and the crew waits anxiously for several minutes until one of his underlings chimes in. "Are there any signs? Does it show itself?"

The doctor steps away from the window and looks to his staff, "It appears to be unaffected. The creature continues to conceal itself." He pauses and glances back at the container, "I dare not open it in fear of unleashing what ever it is down here amongst us. We need to devise a way to hinder its ability to block our perception of it. All facilities of the animal must be analyzed thoroughly, so keep any suggestions of scanners or infrared to yourselves."

The scientists stare each other over anxiously, a few of them brushing through lab notes.

One of the bolder voices speaks up, "I believe it may be transmitting a sort of signal from its body to deflect our senses, specifically our optic nerves; to mask its presence."

"Absurd. You are assuming it can delve into our minds based on what evidence? We must take what we know already and work from there" another scientist rebuttals brazenly.

One of the field scientists that helped bring Mew in steps forward, "We know it has the ability to teleport. That was the means in which it was captured."

A lanky physicist with worn slacks clears his throat, "Do you suppose it's possible that this 'Mew' is currently suspended in an un-bonded molecular state within that cage? In much the same way that it is able to disassociate itself to achieve it's teleportation technique."

"If that were the case then we would not detect it in its solid form with our scanners" the field scientist responds.

"It must be an advanced form of camouflage that has not been documented in the wild before, for obvious reasons" a different scientist observes.

The Doctor has had enough, "This idle speculation is making my stomach turn. I am done with our little discussion. Come to my office when you have data drawn conclusion and nothing less." With that he walks away from the group ignoring the one scientist brave enough to still plead for his attention.

==Pallet Town==

==A few hours before==

Ash is racing downhill from Gary's house on the bike that he was given. His mind is still burning vividly with everything that has just transpired.

He and Gary are standing outside of the Oak residence after returning from the wreckage; Ash unlatches Pikachu from his chain and hugs him tight.

"Just come inside I promise I won't tell them. Please" Gary implores desperately.

He holds back his emotions by burying his eyes into Pikachu's fur, "It doesn't matter, you know your parents are going to find out! I'm not going to become some orphan begging every couple that comes by to adopt me like a stray pet!" Ash screams while Gary puts his hands up in a soothing manner to quiet him.

"That's not how it works; look, just come inside. You don't have anywhere else to go, you can't just runaway!" he tries in a reasonable tone.

Upset by Gary's frankness, Ash turns away and begins trotting downhill begrudgingly.

"Wait, come on are you serious?" Gary calls out, "What are you going to walk the whole way? Where are you even going?"

"Home" Ash declares.

"Don't do that to yourself. You can't go back there." Gary runs down hill and blocks his way, "Please. Just stay. We don't have to go inside with my parents. My granddad is gone; we'll go in his cabin. They won't see you."

Ash's bike is churning down hill splitting a small wave through the calm floodwaters, which are much lower now allowing him to reach the general store with no issue. Once there he pulls his bike into the alley behind the building to hide it amongst the overgrown brush.

His mind treks back to inside Oak's cabin; Gary is rummaging through the food storage pantry with his feet hiked onto the first shelf. "He's always got all kinds of stuff back here." Gary grabs hold of a big jar and lowers it down to Ash, "See this pickled food will last forever." He leaps down and dusts his hands off, "You don't have to do this you know? My parent's will let you stay here until we figure something out."

Ash zips the food into his bag and turns to Gary with a bow. "I'm not running away. There's nothing left for me here to run away from. I'm going to the only place I belong now."

Inside of the store all of the bottom shelves of the racks are empty, and the store clerk in the back is too busy to notice Ash slipping in. Being sure to keep quiet he browses across the aisles and finds a stack of maps that were thrown on top of a table during the flood prep. He flips through the maps looking for a specific one, the regional gyms map. He finds it and unfolds the creases; it only shows the Kanto mainland and New Kanto where he's from. Not shown are all the neighboring countries, which take up a majority of the land. In it he's sees that the closest gyms to him are Viridian, Pewter and Vermillion, in that order. He sets the map back down and grabs a road atlas from next to it. He glances over his shoulder with a timid look then tucks the atlas into his pants and flips his shirt over. As he's emerging from the aisle the store clerk sees him, "Oh Ash, I didn't see you come in. How are you and your mother doing? Did she send you up here for something?"

Ash, too flustered to make sense of what to do, only manages to mutter gibberish as he starts to tear up.

"What is it son? What's the matter?" The store clerk sets down the items in his hands and begins to step towards Ash.

His approach startles him into a sprint out the door and to his bike, while the clerk stands in place bewildered. Once he's far enough in the brush he pulls the bike over and begins studying the atlas until his mind wanders.

He is stepping out of Oak's cabin and Gary stops him one last time, "Take my bike. There's no reason you need to go on foot the whole way. I can always get another one." He hands him a paper with the lock's combination on it. "And.. here have this." Gary hands Ash Charizard's CB, "I know you're going out the way he went off to, so please; for me, find him." He looks down to hide his gaze, "I know if my granddad saw you two together; he would have given him to you instead of me in the first place."

Ash eyes it suspiciously, "Does this mean I have to give you Squirtle?"

"Not unless you want to."

Once Ash is able to gauge where he is in relation to the map, he decides to travel along the nearest river instead of using the road, to avoid detection. He gathers his speed back up on his bike and begins his trek towards the river, weaving through trees and sloshing over the moist earth beneath his wheels. The uneven terrain keeps his pace to a sluggish drag allowing him time to notice his first wild animal; a moss green cocoon nearly the size of a Cavendish banana. He immediately dismounts his bike and climbs the tree it attached itself to so he can cut it free. He pours out a jar of pickled eggs he was given –making sure to save them- and wipes it clean before setting the cocoon in, twig and all. He grabs a metal spoon from his pack and stabs breathing holes through the lid with the handle and climbs down the tree. Wiping the sweat from his temple he admires the blissful cocoon nestled in its new abode. He looks up through the canopy to see the evening sky starting to blanket the woods. He ties the jar lid to his backpack using a spare shoelace and walks along his bike and mouse until he finds a large enough hallow tree base. He parks his bike next to it and snuggles into the narrow crevice with his jar in hand and Pikachu curled up beside him. The forest goes dark as he nods asleep to fireflies dancing in the moonlight.

==The Next Day==

==Oak's office==

Oak is leaning forward unraveling the wire as he talks on the phone, "I have tried already. Everyone is too busy with the relief effort to follow up on another missing person's report. Daisy I'm doing what I can, now what did I tell you about me at work." He leans back on his chair and peaks out the door window, "It's OK, I'll see you tonight sweetheart. Goodbye."

Oak hangs up the phone and begins accessing the account he set up for Ash under the moniker Red. Inside he finds there is still only one animal registered to him; the hybrid, and it is currently not withdrawn. With no real lead to act on yet he logs out, determined to check again later for any status changes.

==Viridian Forest==

Following his map, Ash continues to ride through the trees towards the river that winds through Pallet Town and out beyond. Once he reaches its banks he hops off his bike and decides to call Squirtle out to enjoy the beautiful day. Guiding the turtle down to the water he allows him to swim freely while he follows along side on the bank with his mouse. At his leisurely pace Ash is able to admire the scenery around him and listen to the vibrant birdcalls that inter disperse all the ambient sounds of unabashed nature. He's brought to an abrupt stop when he comes across what appears to he an outstretched arm reaching from the shrubbery. He runs to the side of it to find a man lying face first in the dirt, and from the trail of broken branches behind him, it appears he was headed straight for the river. Ash puts all his might into the rolling the wanderer over to the shock of beholding his distorted face. By his debilitating wounds it is evident the man was attacked by a swarm of the infamous hornets that terrorize Viridian forest. Blistering pink swells cover every visible part of his body rendering and his face to just a series of grotesque lumps. Clearly dead, Ash figures the man will not miss his earthly possessions much and decides to search him. In his hand is a half full bottle of bug repellent. From the contents of his pack, Ash realizes the man was some sort of would-be trainer. Inside he finds four CB -only one being occupied- ointment and antidote, along with a pouch of trail mix. In his pockets Ash recovers one more occupied CB and his wallet; the photo on the identification only shares hair color in common with the cadaver now. He collects all the belongings into his own bag and looks the engorged face over one last time before embarking on his way.

==Doctor's Lab==

==Kanto Mainland==

Mew has been moved to a room built in the same manner as the cage that confined it previously. The room is about double the size of the previous container and features an entrance chamber that allows the scientists a way in while keeping Mew trapped. This new cell's defining upgrade is the 3x6 aerogel observation window with an accompanying room; from here the Doctor stands staring into the void.

Footsteps echo through the hall and a scientist enters the room, "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"What is it now?" The Doctor grumbles.

"I've been going over the data of the two subjects we sent through into the chamber. As you know, using _my_ EEG helmet, we were able to prove the theory that the creature is indeed exhibiting an influence on our brain activity. I followed that up in the second trial by experimenting with a graphene version of the helmet; designed to block key neural correspondence points."

"Which failed miserably" the Doctor interrupts without looking from the window, "because of that folly I was forced to dismiss one of my most exceptional minds. He stumbled out of this chamber an utter fool; a shell of the man that walked in. That helmet of yours has done nothing but exacerbate my research."

"Yes, but it proved there was a disparity; two interactions with the creature provided two different outcomes. The helmet simply needs improvement, but my department has hit the ceiling. In order to expand the design we need more funding."

"Of course. Why not spare my time and outright ask for the money from the start?"

"Sir, the funds do not concern me. Graphene is a zero gap molecular material and I am confident that given enough of it my new concept will be able to completely shut out the creature's influence."

The Doctor turns around and wraps his hand around the side of the scientist's neck pulling him closer, "I admire the fortitude it takes to approach me with such a preposterous idea. Take the money, and keep quiet about those subjects."

==Oak's Office==

==Pallet Town==

Oak is slouched over his desk on another late night; most of the building emptied hours ago. He decides enough time has passed and awakens his computer to log into Red's account again. He accesses the directory then types in the serial code, inside he find that Ash's animal is currently withdrawn. The news elates him, the idea that Ash is somewhere out there with Squirtle by his side seems to sit well with the old man. Suddenly aware of the time, he rises to exit his office and leave the building through the vacant main hall. As he approaches the guard stand the night post moves to block his path with an outreached hand. "Professor Oak. I'm gonna need you to come with me."

"For what reason?" He protests in outright shock.

"I don't want to have to force you. Just come with me over to the security office" the guard insists while lightly nudging him along with his nightstick.

Oak obliges him and proceeds to a double door office where he finds one of his superiors waiting cross-legged behind a desk. The night post closes the door after they enter leaving the three men alone inside.

" _Professor Oak_ " he pronounces eloquently, "How long have you worked here?"

"Please inform me as to what motive led you to wasting my time tonight" Oak says with little patience.

"I'll be frank. We installed trackers in the computers last week. I know you've been accessing the accounts of missing animals. I want them back." He points his finger sternly downward onto the desk before him, "Now."

Oak folds his hands together on his stomach, "So they can be bled dry by your **_science_**? What use is it studying animals if the means in which you do so kills them in the process?"

"Ah yes I heard your last seminar professor; I should have suspected it was you years ago; _the sympathizer_. Men of your caliber weren't built for this line of work. If you do not return every animal which you siphoned out of this facility I will give you something more personal to concern yourself with."

Oak steps back to have a hand collapse on his shoulder by the guardsmen behind him. In retaliation he reaches to his inner coat pocket and pulls out a concealed 7mm pistol. He waves it to the guard and beckons him over by his boss to keep the two in plain sight. With the men huddled together Oak reaches out his hand to the guard, "Slide over the handcuffs and make it quick."

The guard unclips his cuffs and throws them to Oak's feet. "The key too."

Forcing the men to their knees he commands them to handcuff each other by the wrists to an iron pipe running the length of the room. As Oak leaves he closes the door behind himself and returns to his own office. Not wasting the opportunity Oak unplugs his computer and begins unhinging the top of it. From inside he removes the tracker, closes the lid and gathers everything else he can carry from his desk into his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

==The Oak Residence==

Gary lies sleeping in his bed while outside his window a symphony of katydids chirp their song into the night air. His door creaks open and shut and with a loud thud his grandfather seats himself him causing him to awaken abruptly. He looks up to see the professor's forehead beading with sweat as he stares down at him sternly. "Come with me. We need to talk."

Gary slips out from underneath his sheets and clambers out of bed to follow Oak outside in his silk pajamas. As his bare feet step on the uncut grass he can feel the early morning dew dampen his toes. As they draw closer to his grandfather's cabin Gary sees that the door has been left wide open and boxes are stacked around the tail end of his station wagon. Through the door he can tell that the cabin is nearly empty as Oak has been busy packing up all of his belongings.

"What's going on?" he asks bewildered.

Oak stops walking and turns to Gary while sitting down on the steps of his porch. "I cannot stay here any longer" he pauses to admire the scenery, "but I want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened with your friend… or the dragon. You are almost a man grown and I trust you Gary. To show you that I want you to have this." Oak digs into his side pocket and from it hands Gary a worn CB, "Do not go giving this one away. I caught her personally when I used to work field assignments years before my tenure. Her name is Eevee. Take care of her; she will take care of you."

Gary marvels at the ball and rubs his thumb across the vintage CB Corp logo, "What is she?"

Oak tilts his head up proudly, "She is a docile jungle cat that is highly adaptive to any environment. In the years I spent with her, she's swum with glaciers, scaled redwoods, and withstood barren desserts; all with ease."

"I don't understand. Why are you giving me this now and where are you going?"

"I'll be honest with you. I got careless and the corporation knows I've stolen their animals. I have to get away before they get a chance to take them back to their despicable laboratories." From the look on his face Gary can tell just how serious he is, "I want Eevee by your side to keep you safe, but it is imperative that you keep her away from prying eyes. I've made sure that no one will ever come looking for me here, so you don't have anything to worry about."

"But what about you?" he asks despondently.

"If you learn anything from me Gary, learn to be prepared. Now help me pack."

==Viridian Forest==

It is a few hours past sunrise and Ash is riding his bike with the curves of the river as his pets follow. Pikachu is running on all fours at his side and Squirtle is a streaming wave of water with a shell at the crest. By early afternoon he comes across what should be the bridge marked on his map. The three support pillars that held it still stand, but half of the walkway is broken away into bricks and debris. By the damage it appears a large object crashed through it going against the current. He was planning to cross, but having no alternative recourse Ash carries on along the riverside. It is late afternoon by the time he finds another way to cross by means of a temporary zip line rope bridge strung up by a caravan of travelers. Curios Ash pulls his bike towards one of the more welcoming members bearing a warm smile on his face. To the weary group this young kid with his following mouse and turtle is quite a spectacle.

As Ash slows his bike next to the inviting stranger the mans asks him kindly, "What are you doing all the way out here alone youngster?"

He bows his head politely before responding, "I'm headed up to Viridian. I was wondering if it would be possible for me to cross your bridge?"

"Sure, you can cross if you like, but Viridian is no place to be going to right now. The tsunami devastated most of the city; and…" he hesitates as if pondering whether to tell him or not, "I'm sorry but, after no government response came rioting and looting took over."

"What about the gym? Is that still open?" Ash asks with a hint of optimism.

"Sorry child I doubt it, but for now it's best you keep away from Viridian." The man looks at the two animals following Ash and pities him with a queer look. "Are these the animals you mean to challenge the _King of Beasts_ with?"

"The King of Beasts?" Ash sounds out in puzzlement.

"That's what they call it, I don't know the actual name, but I do know that people spend years training for the rite to challenge him for the Earth Badge. Maybe its best you avoid that city altogether." The man seeing that he obviously discouraged Ash tries to remedy his temper. "If you're still trying to cross the bridge talk to that women over there." He points to the person that has been helping the young and elderly harness themselves to the rope.

"Thanks" Ash bows his head and jogs his bike over to the woman standing at the side of the river, her hand gripped to the rope.

She watches him as he approaches, "Are you trying to get to the other side?"

"Yes ma'am" says Ash with a beaming smile.

"Well aren't you courteous"

The woman harnesses Ash's bike to the zip line and sends it across first with Ash holding Pikachu in his arms coming second. When he reaches the other side he unhitches and waves his thanks to the women. A large group of the caravan is settled on the north side of the bank and Ash passes by a cluster of them fishing with nets and lines.

A man standing knee deep in the river wearing a sullied garment with torn sleeves calls out to Ash, "Hey boy. Is that your tortoise?"

He is uncertain what to do; he can hear Professor Oak's words ringing in his ears about remaining cautious with his animals at all times.

"I know it's yours it followed you across the river. Look come here and see." The fisher beckons him over, "You see how it's chasing that fish?"

He follows where he's pointing and through the clear water sees Squirtle chasing a common fish. As the pursuit draws them near to the banks the fisherman hurls his net into the water and traps the fish. "Ha you see that boy." He reaches his hands in and wretches up the writhing grey fish still caught in the netting, "You fish with this turtle of yours and you never go hungry."

"Cool." Ash says with wonder, "Can I have the fish?"

"Sorry boy. I've got kids of my own, but I've got something else for you." The fisher reaches into his knapsack and pulls out a sheet of netting. "Something nasty bit through this one and it's too small for me, but it will be perfect for you."

"Thank you so much" Ash eagerly receives the net and immediately sits down to roll up his pant legs. He high steps into the river and begins tracking Squirtle in circles with it raised in his arms.

The fisherman looks on amused, "No. No, not like that. You gonna scare away all the fishes like that."

==Pallet Town==

It is a calm day and Gary walks alone uphill passed the empty town diner overgrown with entangled vines for years now. He turns up a small trail in the woods and follows it to the clearing he used to come to with Ash, back when he had a dragon. His reminds himself that the creature was more trouble than it was worth before releasing Eevee: the graceful feline with a fluffy brown coat. While bigger than any domestic cat, she is still much smaller than any of her feral counterparts. Gary bends down to pet her and she conforms her body to his touch after having grown accustom to Professor Oak's hand. Together they run deeper into the woods and he watches as she strides with finesse over logs and around trees.

==Viridian Forest==

Beating through the sky with heavy leather wings Charizard lands near a river's edge and begins lapping water into his mouth. Its colossal wingspan stretches out completely before retracting gracefully onto its back as its heavy tail slithers across the dirt.

It's midday and Ash is finishing up a lunch made from what remains of the food Gary gave him. As he's zipping up his backpack he notices a saucer plate sized tarantula climbing the trunk of a nearby tree. Reaching over he grabs Pikachu from nibbling away at a pile of berries and places him in view of the arthropod. Pikachu instinctively stoops low and creeps toward the base of the tree, until he's close enough to waddle down in a pouncing stance. He bounces on top of the spider and the two of them fall to the ground a few inches from each other. The tarantula flips to its legs and retreats backwards at a cautious pace while keeping its several eyes on Pikachu. Having the bug right where he wants it Pikachu arches his back and takes in a breathe of air. For a split second a single spark of electricity cracks between the mouse and bug, resulting in the tarantula folding to its back and cringing into a ball. Having never seen such a display of his powers Ash jumps to his feet in excitement and hoists Pikachu up above him.

A few hours pass and he is back on his bicycle riding down river flying past the blur of trees.

Once dusk starts to set he parks by a towering green Katsura tree and pulls the net out from the saddlebag of his bike. He signals Squirtle over –whose upriver grubbing wild greens- and crouches into the shallows of the cool evening water. By nightfall he's caught three fish and is busy starting a crude fire pit with matches and piles of twigs. He guts one with his pocketknife then fillets the meat and stabs it through a narrow branch like a kebab. After charring the first one nearly black he decides to save the other two in his bike's saddlebags for later. Once he finishes eating, he smothers the flame and assembles his things together for the night's sleep. Squirtle retracts into his shell at Ash's feet and Pikachu balls up next to him as he rests his head on the backpack. He fades off into sleep.

It's past the midnight hour when Ash's mouse brusquely wakes him in a distressed fit. He pushes him aside to the startling realization that something in the dark is tampering with his bike. His heart pounds and he's frozen in place, as his eyes dilate he can make out the imposing silhouette of a mountain lion ripping through his saddlebag. Trembling he shuffles back in sheer terror, as the lion devours his two fish destroying his bike in the process. Ash crunches over a pile of dead leaves and beast's ears perk up in his direction. Its gaze diverts from its meal and falls upon him; his jaw quivers and his body is gripped in terror. From the distance a blood shriek comes rushing through the trees causing the lion to avert its attention. In response it lets out an impressive roar of defiance and crouches, ready for the impending predator. An oncoming thunder of broken branches bustles towards them as Charizard rips through the canopy above and crashes into the lion. Their bodies twist on the ground for several meters until the dragon comes out on top with its claws dug firmly into the hide of the lion, and jaw clasped tight around its neck. The struggling cat manages a few good gashes until a loud crunch from Charizard leaves its body limp and the low rumbling of its guttural roar fades out. Ash stares on, both hands clenched tightly to strands of grass, as the dragon engulfs the torso of the bloodied mountain lion. Ash snaps back to his senses and edges slowly towards his backpack to retrieve Charizard's CB. Triggered by the movement the dragon rises from its meal and gallops into a flight back through the canopy, still holding the battered carcass in tow. Ash gathers himself back up and walks over to his ruined bike; the entire back end has been shredded to pieces. Squirtle managed to sleep through the whole incident and Pikachu comes out of hiding. Left feeling uneasy after the night's events, Ash decides he doesn't need sleep anymore and begins packaging his things to continue on.

==Pallet Town==

Gary steps into the general store and walks the aisles looking over the contents of the shelves. Unimpressed by his findings he approaches the counter and asks the clerk, "Do you carry any Containment Balls?"

"So you fancy yourself a trainer now, huh? More of a specialty item I suppose, but I can order it from Celadon City. Be here by the end of the month if I called in for it today."

Dejected Gary consents, "Alright, I'll take two."

"Not cheap you know. I'll require the money upfront. Not the sort of item I need on my shelves collecting dust out here."

Gary was prepared for this and pulls his savings out to handle the transaction. The store clerk deposits the money and writes him a receipt, "Say, how's that friend of yours Ash doing? Poor kid, I heard about his mother."

Gary's caught off-guard by the question, "Oh.. He's doing OK."

"He came in the day of tsunami, last time I saw him too now that I think of it. Used to see him crossing in front of my store everyday" his eyes trail out beyond the window.

"Yeah, he was sent off to some family out of town."

"That so? Well, if you ever see that boy send him my regards."

Gary responds awkwardly, "For sure."

==Oak's Office==

A private investigator has been called in to examine what little evidence the professor left behind in his overnight escape. The Detective casually rummages through Oak's desk drawers as one of the corporation managers catches him up on the case.

"What initially caught our attention was when he logged into an account containing one of the missing animals," the manager says while peering over the investigator's shoulder.

"How do you know it was the same one? What if they were simply identical species and you mistook it for one of your own missing?"

"They are tracked by a one of a kind genetic code; there is no mistake. It is our animal in the account. Do you not have a basic understanding of the CB animal systems?"

"What do I look like a fucking veterinarian?"

"Of course not. I understand you have been briefed on the professor's escapades in the security office."

The detective smirks, "An old man with a pee shooter. Sure, I heard about it."

"He subdued one of our senior security officers."

"I've seen the little two bit security operation you got running here. I could carve through it with a wet sponge. And with all this expensive equipment too."

"This is an isolated town. We do not require the same force you are used to in that repugnant pit of a city you hail from."

"Tell me about this account." The Detective snaps.

"It is registered under the pseudonym 'Red'. We believe it to be one, of a number of accounts created by Oak to store the animals he stole from us."

"How many is it that he's supposed to have stolen?"

"Fifty eight."

"How does an old man steal that much from you?"

"To be fair that is a cumulative number from over two decade. It is entirely possible that he is not responsible for all of them."

"What's so special about these animals? Why don't you go out and catch yourself some more rabbits?"

"While a majority of the animals could be labeled as rather common, some are unique species invaluable to our research. Most recently was a prized flame dragon out of a litter we were able to procure and an experimental hybrid tortoise, bred for war. The latter of the two is currently stored under the alias 'Red'."

"War you say? I've never heard of a turtle on the battlefield."

"Do all detectives have such simple minds? The naval battlefield. He was meant to sink enemy submarines; the water pressure he would have expelled could pierce the hull of a ship."

"My tax dollars at work aye?"

==Doctor's Lab==

==Kanto Mainland==

The prototype of the new helmet has been completed and they are initiating contact with Mew using a third subject. The helmet covers the scientist's entire head and neck and resembles an early motorcycle helmet. Below he is wearing a white lab coat and surgical gloves. He steps into the entrance chamber and then in through to the cage. In the attached room the Doctor and his staff look on from the limited space of the aero gel observation window. From their perspective they can clearly see the scientist in what appears to be an otherwise empty room.

Inside, the man's legs begin to shake uncontrollably and he throws up into his own helmet. The shaking consumes him and he drops to the floor in an irrepressible fit. He continues to dry heave as he struggles towards the way out banging for the exit procedure to initiate. When scans show the creature is far away in the back corner a small team pulls him from the chamber. Outside he rips the helmet off to wipe his face clean, but he can't subdue the twitch that lingers in his joints.

The dejected doctor erupts on the scientist in charge from the observation room, "This is what was paid for? This was your breakthrough?"

Medical staff is carrying the shaken subject away.

"A minor set back, for I see success in our endeavor today. The reaction was yet again different; the response our subject exhibited showed signs of failed synaptic responses in the peripheral and digestive systems. Unlike previously when our data shows it acted directly upon the subject's minds."

The Doctor stares the scientist over with a look of admiration, "So what you are proposing is a full body suit."

==Viridian Forest==

Ash finishes his route up the subsidiary and comes upon the much larger river that it feeds into. To his dismay he finds that the bridge across is down, and just like the last one the wreckage paths is going against the flowing waves of the current. Staring at the collapsed bridge Ash wonders what sort of object, or creature, could have caused such devastation to what would otherwise appear to be a durable structure. The bridge being down is no concern to Ash since it only leads back to the side of the river he came from. Looking out into the horizon he sees another bridge further on that connects to the landmass he intends to reach. He starts for that direction when he notices something missing. He searches around and can't find Squirtle anywhere in the river, so he runs as close to the edge as he can reach and scans the waves. About 10 yards from him he sees a group of bubbles emerging that are steadily growing bigger. Focusing his attention on this he can make out what appears to be some sort of struggle taking place beneath the surface of the water. As Ash debates whether to jump in or not, the commotion comes topside and he is able to make out the perpetrator. A three-meter long bottlenose dolphin has latched onto Squirtle and is in the process of cracking through his outer shell with its powerful mandibles. Squirtle, crying out in pain, is unable to muster the force necessary to free itself from the dolphin's jaw. Fidgeting through his backpack, Ash reaches into unbutton the inner pouch and retrieves Squirtle's CB. His first attempt to call back his turtles fails due to being too far away; the ongoing struggle is bringing the animals further from the bay. Reaching as far as he can Ash digs his feet into the muddy trench and is just barely in range to retract Squirtle from the clenched jaw of the sea creature. Upset by its lost meal the dolphin clicks out a few shrills of disagreement and dives back into the darkness of the deep. Relieved Ash lays back into the mud and Pikachu begins licking at his face. From his new perspective he notices the ominous clouds gathering above.

==Pallet Town==

The detective is sitting in front of a computer screen that is showing Red's recent activity with the hybrid. He leans forward and contemplates the implications of this latest transaction in the notorious account.

Gary is looking to the dark clouds gathering on the horizon, but judging from the distance he can tell he'll be fine. He and Eevee travel through the woods side by side, when suddenly a wild animal appears. It's a large predatory forest rat with protruding front teeth and it's got its eyes locked on to Eevee. Having never seen his cat in a battle before Gary tentatively reaches to her CB incase he needs to save her. The rat charges forward for an attack, but the feline is too quick and evades the attempt.

Gary hearts rate rises as he feels the sting of regret; this feral beast could have rabies or some other infection, and this is exactly what Oak told him not to do.

His cat bursts forward off her hind legs and tackles the off guard rat to the ground and swiftly maims its arm with its sharp teeth. Eevee then goes straight for the large rat's neck for what would have been a kill strike, but Gary pulls her back in time to prevent it. He steps forward curiously to the poor rat that wiggling around in the dirt in pathetic attempt to escape. He kneels down to its side, not an ounce of the ferocious predator he encountered remains; now it's just a meager animal in fear for its life. Gary takes off his long sleeve shirt and carefully wraps it around the rat like a babe in a blanket to contain it from lashing out with his claws. Lifting him up he pushing through the dense shrubbery with his free arm and begins his walk home with the creature in tow.

==Viridian Forest==

Blankets of rain are bombarding the empty fields as Ash scurries across the bridge holding his mouse to his chest. With a hand over his eyes and a shirt wrapped around his head, Ash keeps to the paved road in hopes of finding any form of shelter to wait out the inclement weather. His current area is populated by immense hills spanning the entire landscape, offering no trees large enough for hiding from the downpour. Gusts of wind start up, wrapping the rain all around Ash into patterns as his visibility shrinks to only the ground before him. Desperate for an escape, he notices the candlelight glow of a lantern coming from the window of a decrepit log cabin. Anxious for respite, Ash runs to the porch of the cabin only to find that the rusted condition of the porch roof protects just as well from the rain as a colander would. He begins banging through the torn screen door for the occupant's attention to find that the doorknob is open. The door ajar, Ash can see the miserable state of the interior and hear the heavy rumble of raindrops crashing down on the tin roof above. The deafening noise intensifies as Ash steps into the house calling out for anyone to hear.

"HELLO? Is anyone in here?"

After no reply he shuts the door to keep water from splashing in and begins scanning over the state of the derelict cabin.

"HELLO?"

Setting his backpack down he unzips it to find something dry to wipe his face off with, when a shadow emerges from the backroom. The tin roof continues to explode with sound of rain as a shotgun is hoisted in Ash's direction.

"What the hell are you doing in my god damn home? You stealing from me boy?"

"No! No sir, not at all I just wanted-"

"You're stealing from me huh? Give me that damn bag!" The belligerent local snatches his backpack and searches its contents with the gun still aimed at Ash. Seeing the valuable gear, mainly the CBs, alerts the gunman to the possibility that he may indeed by a thief. He grabs the wallet and pulls it out.

"Looks like I found a little pickpocket! You stole all this from this man right here huh?" Pointing to the face on the ID, "and you was fixin' to do the same to me? That how it is, huh boy?"

"NO! Please believe me I didn't steal any of that stuff.. I.. I found it."

"You think I'm a damned idiot?" The middle-aged man throws the bag to his couch and presses the gun to Ash's chest. "You get the hell out of my house you little thief!"

Ash is backed out of the cabin onto the porch and into the rain once again. Standing in the downpour he pleads with the man to give his gear back. With his gun still aimed the man starts kicking at Ash to leave his property. Ash is now on his knees grabbing at the man's legs begging for his things.

"YOU GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!"

He plants a foot firmly on Ash's shoulder and heaves his body off of his porch and into the mud. Sobbing, Ash is gathering himself back up when a deafening bang consumes his senses. Certain the gun just went off he crouches down to a fetal position and waits in an eerie silence as the rain continues to pour. His ears ringing, he slowly looks up to find the gun no longer pointed at him, but rather, a much more grotesque sight. A bolt of lighting struck clear through the gunman ripping his limbs from his body; leaving him a charred mess bundled on the porch. The gun partially melted to the leg of the gunman now rests pointed harmlessly away. Ash's face goes pale as he tries to look away from the image now burned into his memory. Looking down he sees Pikachu shuffling about at his feet and notices each of the mouse's hairs standing on end. Putting two and two together he realizes it was his pet that caused this carnage. Unaware that this little thing could muster so much power a new daunting fear sets on him. Unable to hold back the tears he inches around the dead body, grabs his things, and tries to run away from it all. The corpse, the cabin, but most of all, his mouse. With adrenaline pumping through him he longer feels the rain pummeling him as he runs faster down the road trying to escape Pikachu. Further and further he runs from the cabin, but he cannot manage to get more than a few strides away from the mouse. Soon he reaches a horse drawn carriage with two men beckoning to him from the inside.

"What are you doing out in the rain? You're going to catch a cold. Come on in here little guy, you can't stay out there."

Ash stops in his tracks but is too timid to respond. His face painted with the tragedy that just unfolded.

"Hey are you all right?" The first person asks with genuine concern.

"Come on in. It's OK little guy." A second man says from within the cabin.

Reluctantly Ash moves forward and climbs into the carriage.

"Where could you possibly be headed to in all this rain?" The first man asks.

Ash gathers himself and looks straight into his eyes, "Pewter City."

The carriage rides off as Pikachu follows.

==Pallet Town==

Gary carries the wounded rat gingerly in his arms as he continues walking home uphill when he spots an unusual sight. A black 'Packard' style car is parked along the side of the road with a stranger seated at the wheel reading from a newspaper. Being that there are only a few dozen cars in town, this is definitely odd he ponders, as he walks by trying not to be seen peering in.

"Gary Oak isn't it?"

Gary pays him no mind and quickly carries on his way.

"Ought to be, walking around here with a wounded animal in your hands. Must run in the family."

Not wanting to lead him to his house Gary turns around, "What do you want?"

"I was hoping to have a talk with your grandfather, the professor."

Breathing deeply, Gary doesn't respond.

"Look kid the old man is in over his head. I can help him out, but only if you let me."

"Thanks, but we don't need your help."

"I got a lotta people breathing down my neck about your old man. See kid, I don't work for them. They hired me. Now I'm the guy you want findin' your gramps, cause believe me, if they find em', it ain't gonna be a slap on the wrist."

"I don't believe you. Please, just stay away from me!"

The Detective lets out a sigh and sinks further into his car seat. The engine rumbles to life, "Have it your way, but I warned you kid." The car pulls from the dirt shoulder and U-turns to head downhill.

==Viridian Forest==

The rain has stopped but the clouds still hover, blocking out the moon and stars. Ash is sitting on top of the carriage, next to the driver, looking over his map in the lantern light. He glances around him at what he can make out in the dark, unsure of his location. He turns to the driver, "Shouldn't we have come to the turn for Pewter by now?"

Annoyed by the question he responds, "We already made that turn back when you were nappin'."

"But how come we're not in the flatlands? They're hills all around us." He says pointing to his map in protest.

"Let me see that map." Ash hands it over and the driver scans it before slapping it with his backhand. "Look at how old this thing is! It doesn't even have Harbor's town. They repaved the roads a few years back kid, you can't rely on this old thing."

Ash grabs his map back and looks it over suspiciously.

"Say, what's in that jar of yours?" The driver asks curiously.

Enthusiastic to talk about the bug, Ash reaches for the jar and pulls it into the lantern's light. "It's a cocoon I found of a special type of butterfly."

"What makes it so special?"

"I read that when it's in danger it releases a spore to knock out predators and escape."

"Wow kid you must be pretty smart."

"Well, it was just a picture book."

==Pallet Town==

==PT Laboratory==

It is early morning and the Detective steps into Oak's former place of employment eyeballing the door guard from head to toe. He makes his way through the now familiar corridors until he finds his intended target, a young green-faced scientist. "Say, do you know who I am?"

"No, I don't believe I do." He responds nervously.

"I'm the guy your bosses hired to find the ole kook professor. You heard of me right?"

"Yes, yes they told us." He stammers.

The Detective wraps his arm around the young scientist's shoulder, "That practically makes us partners ya know."

"Sir, I'm sorry but I'm busy at the moment."

"Fair enough. I just need a little help getting that door open over there." He points at a locked door to a separate wing with 'RESTRICTED' printed in bold letters across the top.

"Well that's a restricted area I can't let you in."

"Now when I go disturbing the big boys upstairs the first thing they're going to ask is why didn't I get one of you chaps down here to do it? And do you know who I'm going to have to blame? I don't want to have to do that to ya, you seem like a nice guy."

Hoping for another employee to chance by the scientist finally resolves to unlock the door for him.

The Detective pats him on the back, "You're all right; I don't care what anybody says about you."

Inside the detective takes off his jacket, switching it with a lab coat off the rack. He drops his hat onto a counter and proceeds into the R&D wing. Keeping his distance from the staff within, he walks the halls peering into the occasional observation window. In the first he sees a chimpanzee slumped in a corner alone, in another, a flooded room with a trainer petting a dolphin. Further down he sees a group of scientist huddled around some sort of iron lung. At a different angle he's sees it's attached to a decapitated goat head, save the esophagus and other vital organs. From the meager jaw movements, he can tell that life still lingers in the miserable animal. The Detective maintains a drab face as he walks further down the brightly lit halls.

Ahead he overhears a couple of scientists, "She seems to be responding well. Let's introduce twenty more Kelvin."

Through the double plated tempered glass, and steam, the Detective can see what appears to be a large furnace with something inside. Stepping closer he can make out a burnt orange dragon the size of a small horse curled up on the ground, his limbs and side seared a blood red by the blistering floor.

"What do you got going on here?" The Detective interjects.

The two scientists turn to him and one proceeds to answer, "It's actually a-"

The other scientist throws his hand to his colleagues chest, "Don't answer him." He gives the Detective a begrudged stare, "You don't belong in here. Who are you?"

"Ah come off it. I'm working for the big man up stairs, he's got me sniffin' out leads down here."

"That doesn't sound right. No, I'm sure I would have heard of the arrangements. I am going to need you to come with me." The scientist grabs for the Detectives to usher him out.

"Easy buddy." He yanks his arm away aggressively, "I'm comin'."

The scientist follows him to the exit and once they're outside he informs the nearest security guard, "This man was trespassing in the R&D wing. I demand to know who allowed him in the building."

"He's the P.I. the bosses hired to track down Oak." The security guard responds.

"Well, inform him that he has no business in my halls. And make sure it does not happen again."

With that the scientist makes his way back to his wing, slamming the door behind him. The Detective gives the lingering guard a smirk. "Say, could ya open the door back up I left my coat in there."


	5. Chapter 5

==Viridian Forest==

==Route 28==

"I don't know. I never sold a damn kid before, but we gotta act like we know what we're talking about."

"If you've never been there before than how do you even know we'll be able to?"

"Leave that up to me, besides have you got any better ideas?"

"I suppose he could be our little ward. Have em' run about and chop fire wood for us."

"What'll the women say when we pull up to town with a little boy running around with us?"

"They'll think up proper lads with a servant and all."

"I'm done talking about this. Go make sure he's still asleep."

A few hours later Ash is awake, sitting in the back of the carriage, looking over his map. The clouds have cleared and he's able to see that the sun is not where it should be, if they were heading to Pewter City. "I don't think we're headed in the right way. It looks like we're travelling south right now when we should be going west."

The man snatches the map away from Ash, "How about you shut up."

Starting to get a grasp of the situation he's in Ash asks, "I really need to use the bathroom, can we stop?"

"You're gonna have to wait kid."

Ash makes a bolt for his gear, but the confined space in the back of the carriage allows for the man to seize him. He restrains Ash and grabs hold of his wrists with one hand while pulling chains out of a bag with the other. Fastening it to the carriage he latches manacles on to Ash's wrist to find that they are too big. "They boy's to small for the shackles." He calls out to the driver up front.

"Then wrap some cloth around the inside first, just make sure his hands don't go numb. He'd be useless."

The man grabs some rags and twists them around his wrists before chaining him to the carriage. Fearing the punishment for attempting to call out for help, Ash stays quiet. He resigns to watching the trail and dirt road pass beneath them as that they are roll on. Noticing tall blades of grass bending in the field beside them, Ash looks to see Pikachu bouncing through the filed, in pursuit of the carriage.

A few hours pass and the sun is positioned at its peak in the sky. The carriage comes to a stop and ahead Ash can hear the two men bickering. He stretches his head around the side to see the reason for the halt; it appears a woodland animal has decided to take a midday nap in the middle of the road. From the size of the black hide billowing over the road, there was no getting the carriage around it.

"That's no ordinary bear; look at that pattern, and the size of it, we could get alotta cash for a hide like that."

"All we got is a .22, how are we suppose to kill that thing?"

"With the right shot you could take down a mammoth with that gun. Besides it's already asleep, I'll handle it." The driver steps down and reaches to his side compartment for his bolt-action rifle. The second man grabs a hunting knife and together they tip toe towards the sleeping beast. The driver motions for them to stop and takes aim at the back of the bear's head.

The knifeman leans in and whispers, "No not there. If it's got a clean head we can get double."

The driver adjusts his positioning for the heart from behind the shoulder blade. He steadies the gun and fires.

The beast wrenches to life -his thick hide absorbing most of the bullet- and twists around to the two men in a fit of carnal fury. The driver hurriedly steps back reloading the gun as the knifeman runs for the carriage horse and attempts unhinging it. The rifle takes aim firing another shot, which merely embeds in the bear's cheekbone serving to only further enrage it. Charging on all fours the bear slams into the gunman and mauls him with two quick strikes that leave him incapacitated. The knifeman is now busy unlatching the second side of the horse as Ash sits in the back biting away at the rags around his wrists. The bear crashes down on the front end of the carriage, splitting the front axel and sending the horse into a panic that knocks the knifeman down. While the knifeman lies helplessly on the ground, the bear digs its heavy paw across the man's chest and then quiets his screams with a hardy bite. The horse, still stuck to the broken wagon, is attempting to drag itself away as Ash pulls with all his might at the cloth wrapped in his shackles. The bear commences to gorging on his fresh lunch, clothing and all, and then curls up in a ball a few meters up road after he finishes.

Ash manages to pull the rags free and slips his hands through the manacles. He gathers up his gear and steps out from the carriage to survey the scene. The two men lay dead, one partially recognizable with just his face and chest caved in; the other, a bloody disarray of flesh and bone. Pikachu wisely kept his distance and is only now approaching the area. Cautiously, Ash makes his way to the front of the beast and stares him over in his now peaceful state. Its heavy breathing throws up particles of dirt that go on to adhere to his bloody mane. From within his backpack Ash pulls out the empty CB and activates the scanner across the animal's body. Once the genetic recognition has been completed the massive animal dematerializes and evaporates into countless particles. Ash admires the glowing light of his CB for a moment before stashing it in his bag and finally unlatching the riled horse. In the absence of the bear, and now free of its restraints, the horse calms its nerves allowing Ash to guide it to the broken carriage to use as leverage for mounting it. Together, with Pikachu following, they ride away from the ruins that remain of the two travelers. Instead of turning back north, from where he came, he decides to continue south out of Kanto and towards the unknown. The sun begins its descent into darkness.

==Doctor's Lab==

The full body graphene suit has been developed and the fourth subject is ready to enter the chamber. He steps into the cage and is immediately able to see Mew drooping in the corner showing the signs of malnutrition and sun deficiency. Its bones are bulging from the body and its eyes are glossed over in a daze as the scientist steps in front of the humbled creature. He pulls a syringe from his side pocket and stoops down to Mew's level. Tentative, at first, of some sort of resistance; the scientist eases his hands forward wearily, but, after realizing the creature has no physical struggle left in it, he begins to handle it less deftly. From within its veins the deep crimson is drawn through the syringe into vials until the scientist is satisfied with the amount. Drained from the transaction, Mew sprawls onto the ground as the scientist hurriedly exits the chamber. Once outside he is greeted by a chorus of enthused scientist honoring his courage for stepping into 'the void'. The Doctor pushes his way forward to personally shake the hand of the man finally able to collect the precious DNA. He takes the vials from the scientist and looks them over in admiration before declaring, "Have these taken up to B12 to be analyzed immediately."

==Pallet Town==

Gary is huddled into his blankets deep asleep as sunrays pierce through the blinds across his room. His door barges open and his little sister runs in screaming, "Wake up! Wake up! It's on!" In her hands is a battery powered AM/FM radio tuned to the Kanto mainland broadcast of the World Tournament. Gary shrugs himself awake and sits up as the announcers introduce themselves, "This program is offered by CB Corporation solely for your enjoyment. We will not impose upon your good nature with any commercial interruptions. Coming to you today from Tamamushi City are two celebrated radio personalities who will bring you the action and color of the days matches. Satoshi Tajiri; noted news anchor and globetrotter, and Junichi Masuda; WTA sports analyst and newspaper correspondent. The next voice you hear will be that of Ken Sugimori at the court side."

Both Gary and Daisy are crowded around the radio now positioned on the end of his bed.

"Good morning everyone. We're off. The glorious sun shines and a grand day it is, cool and pleasant. I'm looking down upon the most amazing spectacle of modern times. The astonished clouds too, look down upon the house our emperor built, _The_ Kankitsu Stadium. Bursting and bulging to its furthest walls with ninety thousand human beings, crowded elbow-to-elbow and rib-to-rib. They've paid over one million dollars in the primitive hope of seeing today's contestants batter each other into insensibility."

==Kanto Mainland==

==Kankitsu Stadium==

Sitting behind a plexiglass barrier are two dapper sportscasters before a set of ribbon microphones.

"From the outermost walls rows on rows of individual chairs float downward from the bleachers and the far flung grand stand to the brilliantly illuminated field. Every courtside seat, every customer has his own individual chair with an elevated queue. The field itself, blazing under the white-hot sun, is like a meadow, glowing in the center of a mountain valley. And now one of the most interesting figures in all of Kanto steps before us to speak."

In the center of the vibrant green field the master of ceremonies steps to the standing microphone and addresses the audience. A bell tolls, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention. Welcome to our opening bouts! I know you want it, so here go. Permit me to present to you at this time, last year's K.O. winner over Kid Illness, the one and only gem of the Kalos Coasts, lovable, and still the world's tournament champion, Frederick T." The crowd erupts in deafening cheers as a man in his early thirties approaches the east end of the field waving to no one specific. "Quiet please, quiet! "Introductions will be brief, of course you want action, and I'm here for that purpose, to give it to you. The challenger comes from the far away land of our gallant allies, Unova, and has earned his right to stand before you today. The unseeded contestant, Archie Woback." A slightly older man walks to the west end of the field to a less enthused rumble of applause.

"I respectfully ask for your indulgence, your cooperation and patience with me a half a moment on a matter of such great importance that it is for the benefit of everyone within the sound of my voice. In the name of fair play and sportsmanship I take the liberty upon myself to make a plea. Your reaction to this debate was so magnificent that it is still being discussed among men in all walks of life; gentlemen of the press, government state and city officials, high in their respective offices. I sincerely ask that you leave this imprinted in your minds as you walk out of this stadium today. The animals you will see before you, though putting on a display of spectacular extravagance that can be seen on non other stage in the world, are deemed by some to be treated in a cruel and unusual way. It is in light of this that I remind you today of the majestic technology our emperor has bestowed upon us; allowing our technicians to not only recant, but redact, revoke, and altogether undo, the injuries that will be witnessed before you humble and charming folk. Yes, I'm sure that most of you are aware, but for those in the dark as to the arrangements of this fair tournament, all animals engaging in battle will be healed, free of charge mind you, at the end of the tournament in our CB animal facilities. However, it is still an endurance competition, so all injuries sustained will remain until the end of the trainer's duration. It is in the nature of that great Kanto sportsman spirit that I declare this tournament begun."

The announcer exits the field dragging his microphone cord along with him.

Back at the broadcast booth the sportscasters chime in. "And there he goes folks, taking his leave off field."

"He truly commands a presence like none other, doesn't he?"

"And how. Now onto Archie Woback you almost feel sorry for the guy, a relative nobody going up against the current champ, Frederick T, here in the first round of the tournament. But alas, it has got to be someone and you folks at home just want a good fight."

"That's right Satoshi. Over in his corner of the field Frederick wastes no time in summoning forth his gargantuan cobra, 'Arbok'. Dancing now to limber up its muscles, the purple and black behemoth stretches nearly the entire width of the field from nose to tail. Thick as a telephone pole, the titan of the bayous is now slithering patiently by Frederick, trained to wait for that commencing gong."

Archie reaches to his side and calls his selection onto the field, a king spider crab taller than him with long slender legs and an intimidating oversized left claw. It shuffles forward clicking away as the gong sounds, signaling the start of the tournament. The cobra springs forward, gliding through the grass, until it collides with the crab and begins coiling around its slender legs. In an effort to stop the press, the crab hammers its big claw down into the torso of the snake, leaving a dent with a few broken ribs, yet unable to halt the snake's progress. The legs of the crab are being pulled together as Arbok tightens his grip, while the crustacean clamps its claws down with all its might. Blood seeps from the crevices of the snake's side, but its not enough, the crab's legs can no longer sustain the crushing force of the attack. Loud cracks begin echoing across the stadium to a divided response of shock and awe. The cobra unwraps itself leaving the broken crab to heap to the ground. Archie retracts his animal as the snake braces low to the grass in anticipation of its next prey.

A hawk-sized bat with the wingspan of a man is summoned to the field and clumsily flutters around in the air. Wrenching about across the stadium brings the bat close enough to the audience for them to see its hideous fang laden face up close. Reaching a peak in its flight, the bat swoops down at full speed towards the on waiting snake in a striking position. Both animals have their fangs bared as they crash together, but only one manages to land its attack. The bat swings around unharmed, while the cobra retracts back into a striking pose with significantly more blood streaming down his side. At the crescendo of its rise, the bat plummets back down toward the snake for another taste. They collide again, and more skin is ripped from the hide of Arbok. He hisses in pain and loads himself into attack position once more. The bat now in a sustained flight pattern is able to tear more and more flesh from the snake while dodging its bite attempts. Arbok is bleeding from every angle but his stringent trainer shows no signs of relent. The cobra steadies for another strike at the bat as it makes it way down from the heavens. With its wings clasped together for an optimal aerodynamic dive, the snake is able to shred through the leather of both wings in one bite. The bat crashes to the ground a maimed rat, hobbling about in a vain attempt to gain flight. Laughter breaks out amongst the more vindictive onlookers as Archie calls back his injured animal.

With the enemy gone Arbok becomes more aware of his own wounds and balls up to address the pain. Frederick withdraws his weakened snake from battle.

==Pallet Town==

==Gary's room==

"And here we are folks it's looking like both trainers are needing to call out new animals. Who will it be?"

"I'm impressed by the extent he was able to keep 'Arbok' out there."

"Without a doubt. And it appears Archie Woback is going with some sort of bipedal rhinoceros. Tell me, have you ever seen anything like that Satoshi?"

"I have not Junichi and by the rumble in the crowd I'm taking it that they are impressed by the sight of it. Could you describe it for our viewers back home?"

"Standing at, I'd say, about two meters tall this thing is a hulk of a figure, by the imprints it's leaving in the ground it must be clear over a ton. Its grey skin is glistening in the morning sun, a beautiful sight indeed, with two mammoth tusks on top of its elongated cranium and geez, just look at the claws on that thing."

"Truly a tough contender for the champ."

"Absolutely. Let's see what Frederick's decision is for this worthy challenger."

==Kankitsu Stadium==

Frederick reaches to his side and withdraws the first CB from his holster; pressing the button he summons a wolf, with the size and mane of a lion, and the hide of a tiger. The wolf roars letting out a mist of hot steam on the already sunny day. The crowd gives their shouts of approval as the monstrous animal begins stalking about the field. The rhinoceros beast simply paces in place, trampling the ground beneath it, while flapping its ears back and forth; its heavy breath stuttering between deep snarls. The beast lets out a deep squeal and charges forward, but the great wolf is too evasive for a clean hit. It circles around the grey beast and leaps to its exposed back with its jagged canine teeth outstretched, but is unable to clasp on to the thick hide of the rhino. Its teeth slide from the hard surface sending the wolf's body flailing to the ground unexpectedly. Advancing on the opportunity the rhino drops down headfirst and heaves the wolf off its feet and into the air, with its ivory tusk. Flipping head over heal the wolf manages to land swiftly and lunge forward in another attack, claws out. The rhino braces for the blow with its horn down, but the wolf dodges and latches down on the vulnerable area of its head, between the second horn and eyes. Letting out a squeal of pain, the rhino slams down with all its weight to release the wolf from its head. Yelping in response, the wolf gallops away and quickly circles around for another assault on the hunched down animal. Still in the attempt of lifting its cumbersome body, the grey beast is caught off guard by the burning fangs now bearing into the back of its neck. The rhino gathers all its might and continues to rise, struggling against the wolf that is now sinking further into its back. Blood begins dripping to the ground and the rhino's squeals grow to a higher pitch, his arms swinging about in vain, unable to reach the wolf. Sweat evaporates from the hot steam streaming from the wolf's jaw and the rhino is starting to show signs of fatigue. It drops to its knees, then hands, as it slowly collapses to the grass field. With the victory becoming evident, the crowd sends cheers and applause echoing through the stadium. The wolf releases its grip from the defeated beasts and responds to his fans with a majestic howl of triumph. Archie Woback withdraws his animal from the field and the victory bell is rung for the defending champion Frederick T.

==Pallet Town==

==Gary's room==

"Well, well, what a battle we've just seen here. Around the field are at least two hundred cameramen shooting lenses at the victor Frederick T. Even in this moment, his moment of victory, he does not express one single emotion. Archie Woback is hovering in his corner like a wounded chick. Archie looks as sad and sore and defeated as if he himself had been beaten on this day. Frederick's 'Arcanine' is a sight to behold, galloping about the field, conducting the orchestra of applause from the audience. He finishes his victory lap and Frederick now calls him back with his official CB Corporation Containment unit, sending him particle by particle to the QTComputer, located just miles away on Guren Island. Again folks that astonishing technological advancement is brought to you by our partner CB Corporation. Frederick T has been congratulated on all sides now, the press have their front-page photo, and police have the situation at hand. The field is now being prepped for the next match."

Motivated by the battle Gary decides to go out and train his own animals. He sends Daisy out so he can change, but before she leaves she turns to him. "Did Ash really go away to his new family?"

"Yeah, come on, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"Is he ever going to come visit?"

"Maybe. I don't know. They moved far away."

Disappointed, Daisy leaves with the radio and Gary gets ready to head out.

In his backyard, behind a few trees, he goes to a crate that he filled with hay to serve as a bed for his wounded rat. The greens he left yesterday have now been nibbled away and the rat has taken a liking to Gary. He gathers him from the crate and starts toward the town road. He comes up to his trail after the diner and lets the rat down to its feet. From his CB, he brings Eevee out, who he has to separate from trying to paw at the rat.

A rustle in the bushes catches his attention and a silhouette emerges from the shrubbery. "That's an interesting cat. Is it from around here?"

Eevee steps in front of Gary hissing and he looks up to the Detective's face, "I caught her myself in these woods."

"That so? Thing is, I got this list of mine full of animals, and that cat of yours appears to fit the description of one of em'."

Gary drops down and hugs his cat, "You don't understand! He said they were going to torture her! You can't let them take her back." He starts tearing up.

"Lay off it kid. Come on get up. I'm not here to take your pet away. I know a lot more than you think about your granddad, like the fact that he never declared any family for benefits. Can you believe that, in all his years working at that lab."

"But if they don't know about us then how did you find me?"

"Kid this town is a dump, nobody that works at the lab actually lives here. No, they either live out in the country or commute from the city. Same as your granddad, he had a place in Viridian but it was vacant, dusty. I knew, he couldn't have been living there, it was a plant. So I talk to a few people, and let's just say in a town with only one road, it ain't hard to track a car."

"I promise, he didn't tell me anything, OK? I don't know where he is."

"That CB of yours will help. I don't need to take it just show me the back." The Detective assures him.

Gary grabs hold of Eevee again. "She doesn't have one. I told you, I caught her on my own."

"You just promised to me kid, now you can't go and follow that up with a lie. You're going to make me not trust you anymore."

Gary looks down in guilt and pulls out Eevee's CB for the Detective to see. He takes out a notepad to jot down the serial number.

"You're gonna be all right, you don't have anything to worry about. Just keep your head low and stay out of trouble."

With that the Detective walks away, leaving Gary behind to contemplate the decision he made.

==Doctor's Office B12==

"The initial scan of the blood has been completed, the code is being fed through our computers for analysis. We should have the results to you by the weekend." A hunched over technician squeaks as he hands over his report.

"Good, I'll take a look myself." He stands from his desk and walks down the hall with the tech to the computer room. Inside are two rows of arcade sized wood grain cabinets full of wires and rotating 9-track tape canisters. The creature's genome is printed on a large stack of paper, with a perforated binary code on fax paper, and being fed into one of the cabinets. A scientist stands over a line of ticker tape data being printed from the next cabinet. As the Doctor is surveying the progress one of his senior analysts approaches him.

"May I have a word outside?"

The Doctor nods and together they leave the technicians behind and proceed to the elevator. They rise in silence to level B1 and exit the building through a restricted staircase leading to the ground floor. The knob less door seals shut behind them as they step out into the sunny day. They are in the parking lot of the tallest building of the business district, which is located in the center of the city. Next to them the wide _Iridescent River_ divides the city into north and south boroughs, interconnected by three suspension bridges built over the last forty years. The Doctor winces at the sun's reflection off the water.

"We have an issue. That third test subject of yours was brought in last week due to an episode of minor seizures that caused him to collapse on the job. He was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and a mild case tourette syndrome, it's agreed among our staff that the Mew damaged the neural network of his body." The Analyst says with a grim tension in his voice.

"My sympathy to the man, but this is of no consequence to me." Doctor replies callously.

"He's been speaking aloud about that secret little creature you're holding to some of the above ground staff. I believe it may be a symptom of the tourrettes, but regardless people are starting to ask questions."

"Whom?"

The analyst is hesitant with his reply, "It doesn't matter, no one believed his rant anyhow. Just the rambling of a mad man."

"What is it he said?" The Doctor inquires with noted curiosity.

"Well.. That you're experimenting on a demon down there."

"And where is he now?"

"He's been on temporary medical leave since his episode in the lobby."

The Doctor seems satisfied and gives no reply.

"While we are on the matter, has the fourth subject exhibited any symptoms since entering the chamber?" The Analyst asks .

"None as of yet, but we are keeping watch on him."

"Excellent news. So that means the prototype was a success?"

"You are my senior analyst. Why do you not know these things?"

"Sir, I've been busy dealing with the lobby situation above ground for days."

The Doctor ignores him as he stares at a commercial ship passing by on the river.

==Pallet Town Outskirts==

==Motel==

The black Packard is parked outside a rundown roadside motel, the Detective sits at the open window blowing cigar smoke out. Inside, the dingy motel room is warped from recent water damage and his coat is flung across the sheets. Leaning back in his chair he presses the bedside phone to his temple and listens to his partner ramble.

"OK. You ready?" He flips to a specific page in his notepad to read off Gary's CB number and awaits the other end, "….You said 'Eevee' right? … Yeah, that's the one."

In front of him is a page containing a list of all the missing animals, only a few have names, the rest are descriptions with unit numbers.

"What's the account's name?" The Detective listens for a moment before writing down _Blue_ on his pad.

"Go ahead and run the account for me, see what else pulls up." On the other end he can hear his partner typing away on his keyboard, "Say again.. The old fool gave that kid the dragon? So he was holding out on me." The Detective says aloud, more talking to himself than anything, "Yeah, I been talkin' to the kid. What of it?"

His partners voice reaches a high pitch and he pulls the phone away from his ear, "Damn it, you just worry about things over there. I'll take care of this." The phone clangs out in protest as he slams the receiver into the cradle.

==Route 28==

Ash is riding his horse down the paved dirt road leading south as Pikachu follows. He comes across a low hanging tree wrapped around with a fruit vine covered in bright orange flowers. He is able to reach up and pull down enough food for the three of them. He dismounts from the horse and together they stop on the roadside for lunch.


	6. Chapter 6

==Southern Rim of Viridian Forest==

Continuing horseback down the unmarked trail Ash comes across an eroded wooden bridge built over a small stream and he decides it's a good time to fill up his canteen. As he pulls to the water's edge the shade of the canopy finally breaks allowing him to bathe in the comfort of the warming rays. Pikachu catches up to them as Ash works his way down the side of the horse in his best attempt at a dignified dismount. He drops to his knees and begins palming water to his face, the horse follows cue and stoops its head down for a drink. Getting his fill he submerges the canteen below the surface and watches the rush of bubbles rise. A shudder runs down his spine. What a strange sensation, was somebody coming? He looks down the trail but no one is there. He pushes himself back from the water and holds his breathe for a better listen, silence. All he hears is the lapping of the horse's tongue and the steady stream of passing water.

Across the water a grand willow tree's limbs sway in the breeze. That's when he sees it, some sort of coyote hunched over against the trunk: sleeping. Its two hind paws extended outward in pose that almost resembled a resting human. The empty CB in Ash's backpack begins burning in his mind; maybe he could sneak across the bridge and capture this intriguing animal. Clearly it was no ordinary coyote, its tails was too thick and from here he almost make out what looked like opposable thumbs tucked under its paws. He slowly bends his knee to a rising position when a feeling of nostalgia begins to rush over him. His mom's voice echoes through his mind, calling out his name. It rings a familiar tone and his lips begin to quiver. Where were these thoughts manifesting from and how were they so vivid? Her voice is an entire orchestra in his ears screaming louder, this can't be real. He clenches his eyes tight, but the world doesn't go away, it only grows more vibrant. It's as if his eyelids quit working, he immediately opens them to find that the coyote is no longer sleeping, but standing on its hind legs at the opposite edge of the creek. He's taken aback yet can't help but to stare in a transfixed state of part fear and astonishment. The coyote's eyes appear to be fluttering open and shut at the blurred rate of a hummingbird's wings. Its long tail is lingering about like the thick smoke of a cigar cherry, twisting and contorting into impossible position, seemingly stretching to the horizon and back. Ash is frozen in place, too afraid to move a single millimeter. He closes his eyes again and in an instant he's taken to another world. All around him is an infinite deep sky blue, he opens his eyes to escape the void but the vision stays the same. From the distance; coming towards him in the slowed pace of a funeral procession, he can make out the proud faces of all sorts of large predatory birds, and even some he had never seen before. They were all stoic in their posture; each one of them facing center in a pair of symmetrical columns that resembled an almost military stance. As soon as they are close enough for Ash to make out, the birds begin to deteriorate to pieces. Many of them losing limbs, feathers and eyes; revealing the rotten innards beneath. He screams out and opens his eyelids to find that he is back at the stream. Strange, weren't they already open? He's staring down at his palms, his horse pauses from drinking from the water to give him a puzzled gaze. Pikachu comes jumping out of a bush, startled by his cry. Ash gives them both an embarrassed expression and looks over to the trunk of the willow tree but the coyote is no longer there. Bent blades of tall grass remain in the animals wake, confirming to Ash that at least that much was real. What was that, some sort of out of body experience? Maybe he accidentally ate one of those mushrooms Gary told him about.

==Main Building: Parking Lot ==

Chan steps out of his car and stretches the long drive out of his limbs as he looks over his two door, three-cylinder sedan. He was never particularly fond of the car, but it's all he could afford with his meager statistician job with the city. It was days like this made him rue coming in to work, hung over from the extended weekend he adjusts his shirt and tie hoping no one notices he's wearing the same clothes from last week. He decided to not go home over the weekend and instead drive down to the southern towns where beer is a nickel and the only signs of city life are he and his car. There the night sky is ablaze with stars, unlike here -in this concrete jungle- where it shares the stage with overwhelming light pollution and withholds its majesty. He looks up to the clouds hovering around the building bathing in a purple and orange glow from the eminent sunrise. He won't have a chance to see it though since he'll be twelve floors below the surface in a moment. As he approaches the entrance of the lobby, he regrets not stopping by his house during the ride back; at least then he'd have some fresh under garments. He takes one last look at the sky before he's doomed to the cavern below, best not the think of it though, he considers, it'll only help to dull his spirits further. Inside the front desk attendant glares when he sees him as if studying him over, odd for him since he's always been nothing but cordial. Chan shrugs it off and reaches the bank of elevators occupying a corner of the first floor; there are seven sets of doors each of them with a painting above depicting the natural resources that helped build their nation. He steps into doors with the fields of rubber trees above them, this is the grandest of the paintings as it is above the only elevator to occupy its own wall, being that it is the only one with limited access to the basement floors. The descending of the elevator mixed with the spinning in his head disorients him as he leans into the corner before the chamber lurches to a stop at the end of its track, B4. It dings his arrival and he steps out, down here he feels like he's in a prison; just cement blocks stacked up on top of each other and exposed wiring. No floral wallpaper to say, 'hello, welcome to work', or god forbid anything at all really, instead its just policies, and declarations. Rules saying what not to do in big bold letters, he would casually joke with his colleagues this place felt more like a refugee camp than an office to crunch numbers. He took comfort in the fact that he wouldn't be down here much longer; the job they relocated his team for was almost over. He was never quite sure what it was though, or why they had to come down to this musty space to do the work. Just something to do with animal genetics, but he didn't bother with all that, Chan only ever worried about the numbers in front of him and left the bigger picture up to someone else. Though, whoever that person is, he doesn't seem to be doing his job right. Why were they using those archaic computing cabinets for such 'important' data instead of a standard computer, or even the CQC for that matter; its only a few cities away. Instead their work has been running slow, waiting for those old machines to run the numbers. He just wants the assignment over so he can move back upstairs where there were windows and pretty receptionists to stare at. He enters the room where he's supposed to clock in before continuing down to his cubicle on B12, but to his surprise he finds it vacant. Puzzling, he glances down at his watch to make sure his lackadaisical state didn't have him walking in late again. Right on time, he lets out a sigh of chagrin, where is everyone? It's only then that he notices that the halls are deserted as well. They would normally be packed with his coworkers waiting in line for the confined elevator down to the lower floors. Did he miss the memorandum? Ahead of him he hears the rubber tree elevator ding to his relief, finally one of his colleagues to confide in about his strange morning. Yet it's not one of them, no they don't wear concrete grey urban camouflage with steel toe boots, and they definitely don't walk around brandishing a gun in hand.

Chan presses to the wall to allow the soldier to pass him by much like he does when he hears an ambulance while driving.

"HANDS UP! HANDS UP!" The Soldier charges to Chan's side and wraps his fist around the back of his collar, "MOVE NOW!"

Chan obeys as he's hurried stumbling through the halls passing door after door. "Please, I work here this must be a—"

The soldier buries the heel of the pistol into the side of Chan's ribcage. The air escapes his body and he can't find the breath to speak. Where is everyone, he thinks frantically, why is no one around to stop this. The soldier stops at a specific door and swipes his access card, when it opens he shoves Chan in headfirst. The aroma of bleach and heavy chemicals consumes him as he lands onto the metal grates that separate him from the floor by a few centimeters. The door seals shut and he looks up to see the pistol pointed straight at his forehead. I'm going to die, is all that flashes through his mind as his vocal cords begin to vibrate out one last word.

"Ss—" –Chan

The empty shell falls between the grates and rolls down the decline to a mesh screen.

==Floor B12==

Another pod rattles through the obnoxious tubing that runs the length of the Doctor's office, once again throwing off his train of thought. He makes a mental note to write someone upstairs for an immediate ceasing of that bothersome contraption. The pod clangs into the receiving station and he rises up to check its contents. He would rather leave it there untouched and let others pile up as a protest of their invasion of his peace, but the thought of an unchecked letter left him with a mental anxiety he did not want to deal with. He unclasps the top and inside he finds the daily report along with a sealed scroll. He wrinkles his nose; sealed scrolls meant word from the emperors' delegation, something he hardly relished. Throwing it aside he opens the report, it appears the final statistician of the interim group was found, how disappointing. The Doctor couldn't help but smile when he heard word that Chan had eluded the firing squad over the weekend. Now his ashes lie at the bottom of some incinerator, deep below the surface, down here with him in this basement. What a waste, the work he and his team helped to accomplish would be the break through discovery of the decade, if only he were allowed to tell his colleagues in the scientific community that is. He settles himself into his chair and leans back pondering, the great masons that built the pyramids of Hoenn were killed and buried amongst their work, so too are Chan's ashes, entombed within the very walls he is currently staring at. Perhaps he was over thinking it, but being down here in this basement, with his remains somewhere nearby, made his office feel all the more like a grave. He looks over to the left of his desk where a green folder lies; he wonders what that brings the total body count to, perhaps around twenty. A rather large amount, but then again; there is no better way to keep a mouth shut. He flips it open, all he can discern from this distance is the word 'CLASSIFED' across the top, the rest just a grey blur of horizontal stripes. It didn't matter; he's read it a dozen times over by now, this time he's transfixed by the grandeur he can feel emanating from the pages. The weight of the words grapple through his mind, could it be that they were wrong somewhere in the calculations? News like this could change the world, what ostentatious half-wit in this organization has the nerve to hold back something of this scale from the public.

The Doctor rises from his chair; just the thought of all those masses of people out there makes him uneasy. They wouldn't understand his work; he can almost feel their bickering from here and the sudden feeling gives him the urge to go outside for fresh air. How would they possibly comprehend the magnitude his magnum opus when at the core of it he himself doesn't entirely understand the depths of it? They'd probably just refute it and hide behind their masquerade of religions anyway, he convinces himself as he steps out of his office. He turns around to lock his office door with its unique key and tucks it into his breast pocket.


	7. Chapter 7

==Just South of Kanto==

Ash pets his horse's mane as he listens the to the rhythmic sound of its hooves trampling the unpaved trail. He looks up and notes that the trail has grown noticeably wider, yet there have still been no other travelers on the route. Craning his head up he can smell the fresh salt seasoning the air; the ocean must be close by. Hopefully there will be some type of civilization soon he's been running low on supplies since the incident with the coyote. He's been going through it in his mind over and over, what was it that he saw? It felt too real to be a dream, but too strange to be real. While preoccupying his brain with the enigma he unknowingly passes up a cluster of blackberry bushes. His stomach rumbles as he takes another turn in the road, and there off in the distance he can make out the silhouette of a fellow traveler. He clicks his heel to the side of his horse and checks back to make sure Pikachu is in tow with his hurried pace. As he approaches the solitary traveler, he can see that it is an elderly man walking gingerly at the roads edge. Coming from a small town he realizes he has never seen someone with quite so many wrinkles before. Ash rears his horse back and advances toward him at a leisurely speed; hopefully this person will be able to inform him of the nearest town.

"Hello sir, how are you doing today?" Ash calls out from his mount.

The elderly man looks up at him as if he's just noticed him. He ignores the question, or possible didn't hear it and waves Ash to come nearer.

Cautiously Ash does his bidding and draws closer to him. The old man is tall enough to remain eye level without him having to dismount, even with his age induced hunched posture.

"How old do you think I am?" The elderly gentleman asks with a warm smile on his face.

Not wanting to insult him with his honest guess he shoots low and guesses, "Sixty five?"

The gentleman paints and even broader smile across his face as if amused by the response, "I'll be ninety four by the ides of this month."

Ash is honestly surprised by that, he can't recall ever seeing anything beyond a tree that was that old. "You don't look a day over seventy" he joke, "Do you happen to know if there's a town nearby sir?"

The elderly man rests his large veiny hand on Ash's shoulder, "And my wife is only eighty." He gives a light chuckle, pats Ash and carries on his way.

Disappointed Ash figures its best to leave him be and continues down the path. Where ever he came from couldn't be far.

A few minutes down the trail wraps around a large hill and connects to a road paved with rocks and rubble. Clomping on to the new route he looks back from where he came and sees a sign posted warning travelers not to pass due to recent bear spottings.

This new road runs down a leveled path paved clear through the hills in an obscure way that Ash had never encountered. Staring down the middle, he can see that it continues in this manner out through the landscape as far as the horizon. Like a hedge maze various species of vines and moss have become over grown along its lush green walls. The perfectly straight divide meets the hills of the terrain in a way that makes walking down the road feel like passing through magnificent green waves suspended in animation. Ash gawks as he rides through, several of the hills rise taller than any building from Pallet Town making him wonder what they could have possible done with all of the transplanted landmass.

Unsure of where to go he looks to the sun and decides to continue in a southern direction. Travelling along he hears a distant rumbling echoing down the chamber of the long hall. It grows stronger and Ash pulls his horse to the side as two-door convertible with bright white wheels comes speeding by. His horse is startled by the commotion requiring Ash to calm him down before continuing down. He reaches down and calls Pikachu over to cradle him up into his arms.

They continue down the demolished path until the sun reaches its peak in the sky. The aroma of the ocean becomes much more potent as the familiar sounds of the harbor start drifting to his ears. He can hear the sound of ship bells and crashing waves against the shore, but is unable to see anything from the dug out path. He stops his horse by the lower end of one of the hill slopes and hoists him self up onto the edge. He runs up to the crest of the hill as Pikachu watches on from his spot on the horse. From Ash's new vantage point he can see the ocean not too far off and a small harbor town with what appears to be a strip of buildings connected to the road he is currently travelling on. He drops himself down onto his horse and rides hurriedly towards the town. As he draws closer the road gradually inclines to level off with the hills around it and now he's able to see that the buildings are suspended a few meters above the ground on a series of wooden stilts. They are just tall enough to house a wet market teaming with a considerable amount of foot traffic below them, as people bustle about between stands and tents selling fruits of a multitude of colors.

He makes he way under a large red arch with a black top and two carved wooden oxen on either side reared back as if side ready for attack. The rubble and stone road ends and makes way to wooden planks raised slightly off the soggy marsh of a ground underneath. Ash feels a wave of relief pass over him; he is comforted to finally be back around people. The clamor of their feet on the boards and the echoing of dozens of voices trying to speak over one another brings him back to playing tiles with childhood friends in the back in the back of town meetings.

As he paces forward a sun burnt gentleman approaches him with a look of utter disgust on his face.

"How can you go about harassing this animal?" He beckons to Ash.

He looks down at his horse, what could he possibly mean; maybe Pikachu?

"Look at the deplorable state of its shoes!" The man points down at his horse's feet, but Ash has no way of seeing them from his current position.

"W-what's wrong?" He stutters out confused.

" _What's wrong?_ They're rusted and misaligned, if you keep riding this horse like that it's likely to slip and break a leg. How long have you been torturing this poor animal?" He speaks in a belittling tone that shrinks whatever courage Ash thought he mustered while being independent. He only had the best intentions for this horse, and after all it wasn't him that harnessed him in this state.

"What am I supposed to do to fix it?" Ash asks genuinely.

"Well, you seem like a nice enough kid so I'll help you out. I've got a stable not far from here, I can have him right as rain in half an hour flat. I'll take him with me and you meet me right back here." He assures him with a warming hand petting the horse's mane.

Ash agrees and dismounts ineptly from the large equestrian beast. The man bends down and tells where he can find his stable and of his favorite stand in the nearby market to check out. As the man walk away with his horse Ash thanks him enthusiastically while tucking Pikachu into his pack. Afterwards he begins his way down the planks along the main road toward the lively bazaar. In between scattered boards Ash is stepping over, weeds and grass blades creep up reaching out to the sunlight. As he enters into the thickness of the crowd no one pays him much attention other than a few casual glance. Perhaps they're used to seeing homeless kids wondering around in this area. An older bearded man beckons him away when he lets Pikachu out to relieve himself near his stand. He picks up his mouse and hurries away and catches the eyes of the young daughter of a well to do couple. He pauses to look at her; she couldn't be more than a few years older than him. They make eye contact and the look on her face brings Ash to the startling reality of the wretched state of his present attire. He sinks back into the crowd to get away from her disapproving stare. How long had he been wearing this shirt? He looks down at one of the holes and stretches it out to see how big it has gotten, a few more seams snap to his dismay. In his rush to escape the girl he finds him self in front of a cart selling bright red fruits. Ten for a nickel, he passed a field of those just yesterday maybe he could sell some himself. As he thinks about it a heated debate starts between a customer and another storeowner, as they scream he sees the angry customer's kid steal a shirt full of vegetables. Perhaps that wouldn't be the best option for him after all. He decides to go check out to the docks and see all the different ships whose masts were peeking out over the market.

Standing out in the middle of the busy harbor Ash hears men screaming unfamiliar curses in languages from all over the world. He sees people of all different skin tones from pales hues of white to shades of a dark mahogany. Standing next to a row of broken pallets is a bearded man holding a sign advertising the town's animal fighting matches. He chants energetically in the direction of the crowd, "Two fights every half hour from noon to dusk." A group of sailors hurrying along the narrow docks in dark wool sweaters and black caps run into another group of what appear to be nearby islanders; in white garbs with blue ascots, who were in the process of unloading a large crate. The collision causes the crate and two of their men to fall in the water. No communication is had between the two foreign groups as a fight breaks out right there on the docks. Ash notices that the commotion catches the attention of a large man who leans out from his office cabin over looking the peers. He sticks his two fingers in his mouth and whistles louder than a steaming train. From the edge of one of the docks, he can hear the heavy thunder of paws stomping towards the fighting sailors, the splintering sound of wood cries out as its claws tear in and out of the decking. The crowd that gathered blocks Ash's view of the oncoming animal but he can see the sailors reaction, all but two of them stop fighting and turn, with bewildered eyes towards the rushing animal. A heaping blur of grey fur descends from the air and collides with the men sending them crashing into the water. It was moving too fast for Ash to get a good look. The large man yells out from his cabin in another language Ash can't understand, but he repeats himself in different tongue that he is able to recognize.

"Next time he will bite!"

The warning resonates and the men climb back to the docks wringing out their clothes giving each other begrudged stares. The crowd disperses and after enough time passes Ash figures it been long enough and starts walking back towards the market in search of the stable and his horse.

He finds the location the man directed him to but there doesn't appear to be any stables nearby like the man said. Instead he is in one of the quieter areas of the market beside one of the only closed stores in the area. He certain this is the right place, so he decides to sit to wait for the stableman. After a few minutes of waiting the man shows up to Ash's delight, but with no horse at his side.

"Ah there you are" The man exclaims, "Your horse looks better than ever, he's positively beaming." His assuring smile shows signs of wear.

"Where is he then?" Ash asks curiously.

"Oh I've got my stable boy grooming him at the moment."

"Well can I go get him?"

"Of course, of course." He pats Ash on the back, "That'll just be 25 silver."

"What? I don't have any money! You didn't mention anything about money, you said you wanted to help me out!"

"Aye kid, I am looking out for you. I'm cuttin' you a deal over here, anybody else would charge an arm an a leg for what I did for ya."

"I don't want you help anymore, I don't want anything from you. Just give me my horse back and I'll take care of it myself."

"It's too late for that now. The job's done, either you pay me or I'm keeping the thing." His assuring smile has faded leaving behind a much more grim expression.

Ash pleads but the man won't listen. He tells Ash he'll be here for the rest of the day, "either figure something out or I can't help you."

Ash walks away disparagingly, his mind racing; does he even need the horse? How else would he be able to travel? Maybe he'd gather berries and sell them, but how many would that take? There is the bearded guy out on the docks; he looks down at Pikachu pondering. Ash knows what the little mouse is capable of but he has no way of controlling him. The more he thought of it the less he liked the idea. Reluctantly he runs back to the docks and finds the bearded man still holding his sign in one hand while nipping at a rice puff with the other. Ash stops a few paces away to catch his breathe, "Is there- - Is there an age limit to enter?"

He sets his sign down and swallows his bite of rice. Glancing down at Pikachu he gives Ash an aggravated look. "You know you're not the first asshole to paint a rat yellow to try and get a match payment."

"He's no fake." He shouts gesturing down to Pikachu in defiance.

"I don't want to hear it, besides if you got 'em in a CB they'll be able to heal it for you free of charge."

Ash is impressed, he didn't know a town this small would have such advanced technology, "How much does it pay?"

"Ten per fight, double if you win."

"I'll do it." Ash scoops Pikachu and puts him in his backpack then reveals his occupied CB to the bearded man. He approves and leads him to a large rusted metal warehouse at the edge of the docks. Groups of people crowd about the entrance, and behind them is a large dirt field covered entirely by haphazardly parked vehicles - more in one place than the entire population of Pallet town ever held. The bearded man grabs Ash's arm to pull him through the dense congregation huddled outside the warehouse doors. He pulls his pack to his front and grips it tight. Inside people from all over are packed inside the dingy warehouse like sardines. He's wedged through the throng to a narrow corridor secured by an armed guard that allows the two to pass. Inside they find an office with a squat paper cruncher sweating profusely behind a desk. It wasn't just him the room was dank and intemperate with humidity seeping in through the open shutters allowing the ocean light to shine through. He stays seated and glares down at the mouse sticking out of Ash's backpack.

"Is this a joke?" He grabs a handful of cashews and stuffs them into his mouth.

"No, the kid's got CB. Alright, show him what you've got." The bearded man places his hand on Ash's back and shoves him forward. He timidly pulls out the three occupied CB from his backpack and hoists them up for them to see.

The man behind the desk wipes his brow and pads his sweaty mitts off on his pants, "Hand them over here kid." He reaches out and grabs them from Ash, turning each to the side he pecks out the serial numbers on his keyboard meticulously. He lifts his reading glasses up from around his neck and browses through the pale green font of his personal computer.

"I don't know where the hell you keep finding these people." He swivels from his computer and unlocks the cabinet adjacent to him; from inside he pulls out a lockbox. Withdrawing a few silver pieces he drops them in the bearded man's hand who then goes to leave abruptly. The door slams shut and Ash finds himself flooding with regret was this a mistake? This is exactly what Oak told him not to do. The man finishes locking his things back up and hands Ash a blank form with four empty lines.

"I just need your name and where you're from." Ash stares down at the form with an absent gaze, "Oh, here's a pen too. Now go fill it out in the hall, someone will be with you." He reaches across his desk to nudge Ash towards the door from his seat.

In the hall Ash wonders what to write in the blanks, it should be so easy, but he finds himself not knowing what to write on any one of the lines. What if someone in the audience is from Pallet Town, certainly they would recognize him. Didn't Gary say his parent's used to come down here for weekends? He fills in the first line, but stalls; can't make up which animals he's willing to put into harms way. Maybe he could still run away and not have to go through with this, but he needs his horse back or he's stranded out here. Before he can make up his mind someone comes walking down the hall.

"Alright kid you ready? Let me see what you got written on that form," he grabs it from Ash. "Red, just Red? No town, no city, nothing specific. You wanna give me something else to go on here kid?" He cocks his head to the side and raises his hands out in a way that says help me out here. Ash just stares at him intently, unable to pick the right words to use.

"Ok then, come on." He leads Ash down a separate corridor with signs stating they are headed to the arena floor, STAFF ONLY. The muddle echo of screaming fans grows louder as they draw nearer to the arena door. The butterflies in Ash's stomach are nose-diving; he can't go through with this.

"I'm sorry I have to go. I have to leave right now." Ash mutter under his breathe, the staff member doesn't respond he puts his hand on the door and turns to him. Did he even say that out loud? The door appears to be warped out of alignment and the man pushes hard to open it, "Alright, go wait over there on the bleachers til' you hear your name." He points to set of four rowed bleachers surprisingly mostly empty compared to the dense population of bodies crowding the standing room. This is the largest room in the warehouse with ceiling that reach all the way up to the rafters. The floors are hard brown clay with two round encircled battling areas at the center of everything. One is currently occupied by a battle that the crowd seems to enjoy but he can't see what going on over the mass of people. The other ring is empty, Ash stops at the edge of the circle and imagines he's standing in the actual tournament battlefield; the cheers are now for him and as a cacophony of applause chant his name, this IS what he wanted, right? He opens his eyes and looks down at the cracks; dried brown stains are splattered about, the crowd nearby drops to a hush. He hears a high shrill of pain and the hard thump of a limp body; the room erupts in approval. Ash runs over to the bleacher and climbs to the top row to see what happen.

Staff members are dragging off the carcass of a dead chimp while a fighting cock struts around displaying its feathers defiantly to the workers. They hurry away in fear of its peck and close the gates behind them. That chimp was twice that bird's size; did it really just kill it? Shouldn't this match be called to a stop? Animals aren't allowed to kill in league matches. The two men who appear to be the owners of the chimp pull a large cage into their corner, from inside Ash can hear a ravaging dog snarling to be freed. They stand and argue a bit before one of them steps forward to the front of the cage cautiously. The other retreats from the fighting area as he opens the cage and follows after his associate quickly. A grey Staffordshire bull terrier with blue eyes steps out foaming at the mouth with hate pulsing through his veins. The thing was the size of the cage itself and was covered with lacerations with tight skin and short hair tucked under every muscle. It crouched low to the ground baring teeth in an intimidating death growl; its mange-ridden face had the hungry eyes of a dog that had been starved for days. Ash is petrified; this isn't what he was expecting at all. How could someone treat an animal that way? It looked like a wild beast not the trained animals he was accustomed to listening to the league matches for so long.

The rooster's feathers perk back up as it starts circling away from the dog flashing its wings.

"Hey, kid. Are you with somebody?" Asks a middle-aged man sitting a few spaces away from Ash. The dog leaps toward the bird but it jumps high and away flapping its wings.

"No." Ash responds lost in the match.

"What are you doing in a place like this alone?" The dog watches it through the air and pounces on the bird before it has a chance to land. In two quick bites the dog breaks its wing and snaps its neck, by the third bite its already engulfing its meal. The crowd loves it.

Ash jumps up in shock, "isn't someone supposed to stop this?" He cries out.

"The fights are to the death in this tournament, this probably isn't the best place for you. What are you even doing here anyway?" The owner of the rooster leads out a sand color cougar with calm yellow eyes on a thick chain link leash.

"They told me the animals healed after the match." Ash says with heavy desperation.

"These are survival endurance matches, only the winning trainer's remaining animal's are healed." The cougar is set loose into the fighting area and prowls around the perimeter fearlessly while the foaming dog barks in its corner.

"Don't tell me your one of the contestants."

Ash looks to him for the first time he's older, but not so much aged, as he is distinguished.

"I need the money. I didn't know it was like this."

The dog charges forward with its fur raised on edge, but the cougar answers with a swift paw to its face. The claws leave their mark, but the dog has locked its jaw onto the cougar's arm. It brings its free claw down in a savage strike that gauges the terrier's eye out. It whelps in horrendous pain, but its teeth only dig deeper into the cat.

The room is on edge, "I hope you know what you're doing kid." Ash's eyes begin to water up; he can't help but think of the town stray he used to feed before it went missing. The cougar crunches down into the cranium of the dog and pries its upper jaw off of his arm. Red saliva spews out, as its mandibles are torn loose, the fight has now left the dog. Blood spreads across the arena floor and Ash feels sick to his stomach. Cries of joy consume the warehouse, while other hang their head low in disappointment. Staff members go around collecting side bets in the audience including the gentleman Ash was talking to.

Something inaudible is said over the PA system and the crowd pushes its way over to the second arena. Ash remains motionless in his seat watching as everyone goes through the motions as if nothing happened. The gentleman comes back and hands Ash five silver coins, "Will that be able to help?"

Ash stays quiet. "I'm sure I could speak with someone about getting you out of this." The man seems trustworthy, but Ash isn't willing to rely on a stranger again so soon. The PA system cuts back on with another indiscernible announcement; he only takes away one comprehendible word that is left ringing in his ears, Red.

"Hey, are you listening to me kid?"

Ash looks up to him and wipes the wetness from his face, "I can do this."

The staff doors opens and the worker from earlier walks towards the bleachers gesturing Ash.

"What's your name kid? Mine's Olman."

"They call - me Red." Saying it between hiccups wasn't how he would have preferred.

"My money's on you." He says with a wink.


	8. Chapter 8

Ash stands in his trainer's box looking over the crowd's eager faces, he hasn't stopped hiccupping. This was not how he pictured it, he tries holding his breathe but I doesn't work. They must think he's a joke; it's bad enough he's the only adolescent in the building. The man in the trainer's box opposite of him has a worry free grin relaxing across his face. He signals to the staff and a hogtied boar is heaved into the arena. They snip away at its ropes carelessly and take their exit, leaving the boar to adjust himself to the arena. Its movements seem cumbersome as it legs shake under its own weight. They must have left it tied up too long; Ash wastes no time in summoning out his own animal from its CB, -hic- the monstrous black and white bear. It lashes out to the ceiling and the audience lets out cheers of approval. The bear drops to all fours at it becomes aware of the multitudes of people surrounding him out of reach. Ash is uncertain, is he supposed to command it to do something? The staggering boar paces into the view of the bear and nature takes its course. In a matter of seconds the boar is cornered and crushed under the weight of the mauling bear. Ash isn't sure if he feels remorse for the death or pride for the victory, but the crowd loves it either way and he's swept up in the emotion.

Who the hell gave this little kid that damn bear? He looks around dumbfounded as half the audience stares at him in amusement. This was hardly the reception he was expecting, driving all this way from Vermillion city. No time to think about whether he should have untied his boar sooner or not, he has another in the trailer anyway. The plan was to coast through this competition with only the two boars – the second one is quite larger – but it appears this kid is forcing him into using his trump card. He digs into his coat pocket and pulls out a CB of his own; he signals towards the arena floor and a flash materializes into the bulging muscles of a full-grown bull. This isn't how it was supposed to be; he wanted to save him for the actual tournament, which holds amateur matches in the fall, but a little practice wouldn't hurt. Besides this is just some wild animal that child has no control over, nothing compared to his trained beast. He glances around at the crowd then down to the kid; he looks lost, staring wide-eyed at the bull while hiccupping like a babe. He almost feels bad for him, but he can't allow that insult of the last match to go unpunished.

Ash's bear drops the boar carcass as soon as he catches wind of the bull. It's nearly the size of the bear with numerous brands scarred across its hide. Its horns are the width of Ash's neck and curve forward to chiseled points ready to skewer the roughest meat. The bear rears back and lifts up to its hind legs, no longer giving off the confidence it embraced with the boar. The trainer yells out and the bull charges at full speed; its neck lowered and horns aimed forward. The bear drops down and pads away, but gets caught with a deep gash into its hind leg. The collision whips the bull's body around and it rears its head back for another blow as the bear roars out in pain. Its horn tore deep into the bear's flesh leaving behind a gapping hole with blood seeping out. The other trainer keeps yelling out commands, should he be doing that too? Ash feels hopeless as the bull's horns rip deeper into his bear's flesh. The bear contorts its body to pull out of the horns and grabs hold of the bull. His heavy paw digs deep into the mid arch of the bull's spine and it cripples beneath the weight collapsing to the ground. The crowd jumps to there feet and before they know it bull has vanished. Ash stumbles for his own CB and quickly retracts his animal as well. The room is hushed for the first time today; the opposing trainer fumes and slams the staff doors behind him as he exits. The anticlimactic end leaves the crowd disappointed as they file out for the break, most of them with no money to collect.

It's only now that Ash realizes he lost his hiccups; he approaches the nearest staff member and asks urgently, "Where can I heal my animal?"

"Go have a seat and they'll come to you when they're ready." He responds nonchalantly as he gestures toward the bleachers Ash came from. That's not good enough, he runs through the staff doors back to the office where he signed the form. The squat man still sits at his desk staring blankly into the screen.

"I won. I'd like to heal my bear now, please." He chirps out quickly between breaths.

He lifts his head from the screen and allows his eyes to adjust onto Ash. "I'm the wrong person for that kid. Besides, didn't you read the contract you signed?"

"No," –deep breath- "somebody took it from me."

"That's too bad kid, it really is." He grumbles without concern, "If you had bothered to read it you would have see that you need to win at least two rounds to get your pets healed. It's not a cheap process you know." With that the mean rises from his desk and pushes Ash out of his office, shutting the door behind him.

Ash returns to his spot on the stands with an uneasy feeling in his gut and looks around for the person he was talking to. What was his name again, something Oldman?

The room is nearly empty by the time Olman returns; Ash jumps down from the bleachers and rushes towards him.

"Can they feel pain inside of these things?" He says with the CB outstretched toward Olman.

"Not at all. It's akin to being in a state of suspended comatose for them. Don't let that concern you. Here." He hands Ash ten more coins and asks, "Will that be enough for your issue? I can spare more if you need it."

It's enough to get his horse back, but his bear will bleed to death next time he calls him out of the CB unless he gets him healed properly. How is he supposed to go on with this fight?

Olman can see the concern in his eyes, "You don't have to go through with the next match."

"If I don't win they won't heal him," he says grasping the CB tight.

"You'll be fighting the wounded cougar, do you think you'll be able to handle it?"

Ash doesn't respond instead he looks over the dingy state of the warehouse, how could he allow himself to be in this position? What could Squirtle do against and animal like that, and Pikachu would be killed in a single swipe. If only the dragon were here.

The crowd begins huddling back into the room, and Olman guides Ash back to their spot on the bleachers. "Look. Do you see that guy over there?" Olman signals casually towards a bald man that has the finest suit in the building. He has the beady sunken eyes of someone that's been awake the past forty hours and huddled around him is a group of people that seem to be staring Ash's way.

"His name's Taejon Hughes and he's the man that paved the road to this town, in fact he funded the whole place, from the harbor to the buildings down the main street. He was born wealthy – shipping, if I remember correctly – and above all else he has a desire to be seen. Trouble is, it's hard standing out amongst the old money of Celadon City, so he packed up and moved down here, below the Kanto border; building his very own private paradise amongst the squander and hills."

"Why would he want to live down here though?"

"Do you see those men gathered around him?" The men around Taejon take his words in as if he were a prophet, and bend over and slap knees at his every joke. "To them he is a legend, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. He's the reason were all here today, and yet right now, at this moment, everybody's thinking about you. You've got this whole room captivated and all this people want to see what you'll do next. So what will it be?"

Ash takes in a deep breathe. Its several minutes before the PA system turn back on, he's adjusted to it enough now to know that it time. He shrugs his jitters away and prays that his hiccups don't come back. Olman wishes him luck as he makes his way to the trainer's box.

Across from him he can see that the owner of the dead rooster has placed some of its tail feathers behind his ear. He bends down and caresses the bandages that have been wrapped around the cougar's bite wound. The feathered trainer unchains the beast and it stalks forward with a noticeable limp. The crowd is back to capacity and cheers let out from all sides. Olman had him convinced he was the favorite; perhaps it was just a shallow pep talk. It doesn't matter this is his moment; he pulls his backpack forward with Pikachu staring blissfully up at him from the side pocket. He reaches into his bag and glances over the serial numbers of his CB until he sees the right one. He withdrawals it and the crowd quiets down in anticipation of his next move. Ash can feel the tension in the air; blank faces stare gaping at him, he raises his arm and summons his choice. The feathered trainer scoffs and the crowd roars out in laughter; Ash can see the color leave Olman's face.

The silver winged butterfly lands gracefully on the side railing of the arena. Ash is starting to have serious doubts about his plan but this is his only option. The cougar pays no mind to the butterfly; instead it lies down and tends to his bandages. The mood of the room grows hostile as screams of illegitimacy call out between others demanding their money back on the grounds of this fight being a scam. Ash can feel the weight of everyone's eyes on him; how is he supposed to get this insect to do what he wants. As if hearing his thoughts the feathered trainer whistles to his cougar and points out the butterfly. This gets him active; he rises up; stretches his limbs, then takes its time in pacing toward the bug. It crouches when it's near enough and wiggles his behind back and forth, he appears to be enjoying this. It makes its move, but the butterfly senses the threat and flutters away. The cougar chases after it pouncing up and down with the glee of a kitten. The closer it gets the more it disturbs the butterflies flight as it braces against the crashing wind of the cougar's paws. A shimmer of dust particles catches light from the protruding rays cascading down on the arena, is it working? Before Ash can have a chance to decide the cougar's paw finally catches its prey and the butterfly is no more. A single wing is left spinning to the ground and the cougar wastes no time in getting back to grooming his wound.

Taejon is unimpressed, is this what he came down from his office for? To watch a mockery of his very own tournament? These paying customers came here to see blood and a collision of power. That's why he started these fights; to give the people what the league can't give them. They don't drive all the way down here to watch butterflies flutter about. He looks around at the audience gathered in his warehouse today; these are his people, and most of them are booing. He can't blame them that has to have been the worst fight ever hosted in the six years since he built this place. And now what is the child doing? He's just standing there.

"Why hasn't he already pulled out the bear?" One of Taejon's group chimes in.

"Didn't you see? Gleeson's Taurus ripped straight into its intestines. The thing's going to bleed out the next time it's loosed." Another in his group responds.

The former lets out a wry chuckle; "Well I don't know what he was thinking, what good was it wasting everyone's time with that butterfly?"

Taejon stays quiet, the child still hasn't called out the bear; perhaps he's gotten cold feet. He'll need to send someone in to intervene if this carries on much longer; the crowd is growing restless. He finally reaches into to his bag for the CB. He hesitates for a moment, but within seconds the bear is before them once again. It immediately stoops to its knees in agony while its already blood matted coat grows darker. The cougar is slow to react, Taejon stares closer; some sort of muscle spasm is afflicting its right paw. He finally speaks up, "What is that child's name?"

"He's calling himself Red."

Taejon changes his mind; he is impressed.

The cougar is encumbered by its twitching front paw; the muscles have clenched tight and it is forced to hold its arm close to his chest as it moves closer. The bear roars to keep the cougar back; lacking the luster that it had earlier. The cougar returns with its own snarl as it leaps forward; the bear ducks its head low and the two collide. The cougar unleashes a furry of quick bites around its large head and ears while the bear shrugs the attacks off with its shoulders. The cougar is too quick, even with the paralyzed arm; it delivers quick swift strikes that leave the bear's cranium a bloody mess. Tufts of hair drift from the air as the bear backs away in surrender. The cougar whips its tail and scream out in triumph. Ash begins panicking, if he calls him back now he'll lose his only chance of saving his bear. The covered in blood splatters from head to toe; some from the travelers remains as well. This bear already took a bullet to the head and survived; Ash remembers, he'll hold out. The cougar is no longer pressing forward; the paralysis is taking hold over the rest of its body now. The spasms cause it to drop to the floor in a fit of writhing pain; its whole body appears to be attempting to curl up into an awkward posture as its cries out. The bear seizes its chance and ends it suffers with its sharp teeth. The cougar continues to twitch as the bear drops down for a rest. Ash is too stunned to call him away immediately; he had no idea the butterfly's toxin would take affect so drastically.

The crowd is none to happy about the performance, but Ash could care less about their response. He climbs over the railings and cuts straight through the crowd to Taejon himself and holds up his CB in surrender. "I'd like to heal him now please." He faces down and closes his eyes tight hoping for the best.

Taejon looks to his friends and laughs softly, "Follow me."


	9. Chapter 9

Leaving the warehouse with his mouse at his side Ash can still hear the loud hum of the CB machine ringing in his ear. The size of it was daunting; it took up the entirety of the room it occupied along with an exhaust port through the ceiling. Taejon had assured him that the bear was back to optimal health, but Ash was hesitant; the last time Ash saw him he was hunched over on all fours only inches from death. He left from the warehouse in a hurry; the crowd – that's meandering about outside waiting for the next match to commence – was giving Ash dirty looks. Taejon had warned him that most people lost money on that match and it was best in he left quickly. He had wanted to say goodbye to Olman, but he'd be all right. He rushes past the harbor – the bearded man is still slouched over with his sign – and onto the main street where he cuts through the market in search of the stableman. His heart's beating hard as he shuffles through the thinning crowd; the sky above is turning an ominous yellow as the sun hangs in its descent. He finds him, sitting atop a barrel flirting with a barmaid whose clearing off her outdoor table. As he nears the stableman jumps down and meets him halfway; out of the bar maids hearing.

"So you came back. I was worried you were going to leave me having to care for that poor horse on my own." He says with a joyful smile.

Ash isn't convinced; he remembers all to well his last conversation with this man, "I have the money. Where's my horse?"

"Excellent. May I see it? You can never be to sure in a town like this."

Ash pulls out twenty-five silver and presents it to him. The stableman takes it from his hands and inspects it closely. "This will do. Now wait here and I'll be right back with your horse."

"Could I follow you instead?" Ash insists.

"No, that'd be highly irregular; you'd frighten the other horses." The stableman says with his hands clenched in a regretful posture.

Ash is ambivalent of the situation. Why is he walking away so fast? Aren't his clothes a bit too formal for stable work? The man takes a corner and Ash chases after him, but as he rounds the corner himself the man has already vanished into the market. He walks to the nearest stand and asks, "Excuse me sir, where are the stables at?"

"There are no stables in this town, but if you need a hitch; there are some out near the docks."

He thanks the attendant and buys his ripest shaddock. It's possible the man left in a hurry to retrieve his horse quicker for him. His only chance of seeing it again will be to rely in him and wait for his return.

The sun hangs over the horizon and clouds drift in from the sea perched above the harbor. It's been nearly an hour and he's no longer waiting for the stableman as much as he's punishing himself mentally for being so naïve. He's seated on the planks of the main street with his feet soaking in the mud below. He has his head hunched low as Pikachu chases after fireflies blinking in the night's cool air. He will need to find shelter tonight; he shudders to thinks of the last time it rained. The sound of footsteps dies out, he looks over his shoulder to see the stalls of the market shutting down. Only a dozen incandescent bulbs are left on in the street and swarms of insects and amphibians of all sorts surround them. Pikachu makes hops from left to right gorging on the throng.

Behind him can hear the planks creaks signaling someone's approach; for a moment he ponders the possibility that the stableman returned for him.

"The hell are you still doin' out 'ere?" Ash recognizes Olman's voice though it's a little staggered.

"I-uh," Ash stutters out and then remains quiet to keep from choking up.

Olman steps closer and Ash and he can smell the lingering aroma of cigars and whiskey.

"You 'ear me kid? You alright?"

Ash holds back tears as he explains his predicament with the horse swindler; by the end of his rant he regains his composure and makes sure to leave out many of the pertinent details.

"Well why in the hell did your parents jus' leave you out with a god damn horse anyway?"

He hesitates to respond, "My parents… "

"What are you, a runaway or somethin'"

"They're in Pewter City." He blurts out, "They sent me out here to get food from the local markets."

"What kind of shit-for-brains parents would send their son all the way out here alone? It's no wonder you got robbed like you did kid," he turns his head and belches. "This is a rough town, don't you know that."

Ash stares blankly back at him, he has nothing left to say, Olman appears to be nauseous and the words Ash speaks don't seam to be registering properly with him.

"I tell you what," Olman looks over Ash in a dense gaze. "You won me some good money today, before I bet it all on that hack after you and who blew it." Olman hocks a lougie into the swamp in dissatisfaction. " 'sides Pewter isn't too far from here. I'm through with this town."

Ash rises up and beckons his mouse over.

"Just do me a favor," his eyes blink slow "wipe off your damn feet." He grunts out as he stammers forward in to the bulb's light swatting away at the flock of flies.

Ash follows Olman to the back lot of the warehouse where a solitary group of raggedly dressed men are shucking away at a pile of oysters. They eye the two suspiciously as they walk through the empty lot and huddle themselves closer around the pile to hide their treasures. Olman steadies his hand on his hip and returns the glare.

"Don't mind these schmucks, the car's right over here." He gestures towards a cerulean two door with a black vinyl top and tattered white wall tires. Lying across the hood napping is a kid not much older than Ash but twice his size.

Olman picks up his pace once he notices him. "Wake up damn it. If you dented my fuckin' hood I'm not giving you a thing."

The kid jumps up "Look, see." He rubs the hood gently in reassurance; "Nothing's wrong, just as you left it. See?"

"Get your grimy hands off of my car." The coldness of his tone stops him solid. Olman searches deep into his pockets for a substantial time before he finally pulls out a single silver coin. He flicks it ineptly into the general direction of the poor kid causing him scurries off after it into the field behind them. Turning to the car Olman's shaking hands and brief curses to himself delay unlocking the doors, so Ash takes the time to look over the car. At the crest of the hood is an intimidating emblem of a growling wolf with scythe-shaped horns.

"Come on. Let's go, let's go." Olman barely managed to get the door open and he's already barking orders.

Was the calm mannered personality Ash met earlier today just a façade? This can't be the real Olman, if he didn't need this ride so much he'd probably reconsider.

Olman slouches into the car and starts blaring the horn, the oyster eater look up from their meal and start shouting for silence.

"OK. OK. I'm coming." Ash shuffles quickly to the passenger door to find it locked, Olman reaches across and pulls up the knob. Ash sits down and stomps his feet together before getting in.

The interior has gold embroidery running the length of the ostrich skin upholstery with an alluring fragrance of pure leather that dances in Ash's nostrils. Being enclosed in such a small place with such a hectic personality makes him feel oddly out of place. Olman reaches across Ash's lap and unlatches the glove compartment above his knees. From within he pulls out a half empty bottle with a glass blown handle and unscrews the top.

"Need my medicine to calm my nerves before we ride." He takes a few big swigs and pounds the bottle into Ash's chest. "Here. You 'ave some. It's good for you." The blue cabin light makes the liquid slosh about like an eerie chemical. The old man down the street had a bottle just like this in his kitchen, so it couldn't be all bad. He takes a deep gulp and grimaces at the pain of trying to fight from spitting it out. Olman pulls the bottle away and takes a few more drinks before screwing on the top and lurching the engine to life. Thankfully Olman stays quiet as he concentrates on the road.

Other than the dirt illuminated by the headlamps Ash can see little in the darkness around them. He closes his eyes and listens to the gravel being crushed beneath them as Olman begins fumbling his hand through the back seat. He grabs what appears to be a large cassette and inserts it into car's center console. He flicks up a switch and in a few moments after a soft winding sound a piano melody begins to play a rhythmic song that eases Ash's nerves.

Olman rolls down his window and starts yelling over the wind and music. "I 'ad this car 'mported straight from Sinnoh. It's got state of the art techn'l-gy that you can't find on this side of the ocean." He rolls up his window and flips another switch; cold air starting filling the car. "This is the first of its kind; it's an integrated system with heating and cooling all from the same unit."

Ash takes in what he's saying but can't find the words to respond. Instead he stares out the windshield in front of him at the indiscernible cloudy night. The melody continues and Ash drifts away to sleep. Far away from the car a dark shadow follows in the distance.

An abrupt swerve jolts Ash back to consciousness; the road they are on is no longer paved and has become a much more rugged terrain. The suspension of the car is putting in over time and the ride is still unstable. Outside they have cleared the reach of the storm and the stars shine bright, from their placement he can tell they are indeed heading west. Cautiously he gazes over to Olman and sees the nearly empty bottle still clutched in between his fingers and the wheel. It's hard to tell whether it is shaking from the unsteady road or his high blood pressure.

"How much longer until we're there?" Ash breaks the silence.

Olman stays intently focused on the road and allows the tension to build with a long awkward pause. "Not long."  
Anxiety begins to swell up inside of Ash. What was he going to tell him once they reached Pewter? This man has driven all this way surely he will be upset once he finds out it's a lie, and once he knows he has no family; then what? There's no telling what this guy's unstable personality is capable of. He edges himself deeper into his seat and prays that they don't reach Pewter anytime soon. Not before he figures out a plan of what to do or what to say. As if Olman can feel the tension brewing within Ash he steps heavier on the pedal. The engine revs up to a fever pitch; Olman's bottle rattles out of his hand banging to the floor, and all the objects on the dashboard come tumbling down. Ash braces himself and yells out to Olman through the ruckus, "Please, can you slow down?!"

A smile creeps over his lips. Is this man mad? And with that, just as soon as he had begun his speeding tirade he pulls the hardtop to a complete stop on the side of the road. The driver door flies open and Olman steps out into the glow of the headlights to relieve himself in the middle of the road. Ash has had enough; he reaches to his feet slowly and grabs his backpack checking to confirm that Pikachu is inside. He pulls one foot out onto the dirt road and then the other.

Olman turns his head and furls his brow. "What 'n the 'ell are you doin'?"

"Ee- I have to go." He steps out of the car and quickly disappears in the high shrubbery before Olman can react. A liberating feeling rushes over him; it felt good to be going on his own way again. In the distance he can hear Olman yelling out to him, more likely cursing to the heavens. He keeps pressing through the leaves and bushes until he finds an opening. He must keep pushing forward unless he comes to find him. The clearing passes and he's back into dense foliage, having to high step and shrug through vines he's at least grateful the moon is bright enough to see in front of him.


End file.
